Search for Me
by mistress-reebi
Summary: [Post game] A young child crashed in Airglyph a kilometre away from Albel's estate. The soldiers who found her destroyed her communication device, thinking it was a threat, and the only word Albel got out of her was Esteed.
1. The Crash

[revised on 2 July, 2007)

The sun started to rest for the night, which gave off a colour palette of violet mixed with rose that filled the entire sky. There weren't any clouds in the sky, making the hues more visible as the sun laid on top of the horizon. Even though it was dusk, the sun shone brightly, giving light to the land.

Albel waltzed unto the balcony from his bedroom at his estate, gazing out into the land while taking a sip from his bottle of winkling sage cider. He dumped his arms over the rails, hunched over, as he gave a sigh and took a gulp. Giving a "bah," he threw the bottle into the scenery, watching it smash into fragments metres below him. He lowered his face, resting them on top of his hands with his face drooping down, almost melting unto the rail.

A few moments later when the darkness started to slowly take over the sky, a light orb sparkled in the sky almost competing with the deep indigo palette, and flew towards the ground within seconds. Albel's head jumped up, as he stood up straight in full attention, thinking: "This can't be a shooting star." Sprinting out of his house, he raced towards the stable and grabbed the first horse he found. The horse neighed, giving out a battle cry as it galloped towards the east across the hills.

Two soldiers gathered around, encircling a strange metal disk that was just short of three metres long and one metre wide and deep. One solider began to kick something as Albel got off his horse. A cry squealed out, yelping in pain, which caused Albel to look down. A young pre-schooler girl held her hands into fists on her eyes, and began to bawl her little heart out. She wore a dress with several layers and laces that was elaborately decorated, but in design that he had never seen before.

"What's going on here?" Albel spat, as he marched towards the soldiers. They began to shuffle towards the side, allowing him to see the girl and the bizarre machine that looked like something from Greeton. A small teddy bear ripped to shreds had all of the batting shattered around had lain beside one of the guards. He picked it up and examined it with his eyes wide in shock. The girl ran towards him, trying to yank it out of his hands, but he raised it up preventing her from doing that. Her dark eyes began to water even more as the tears poured down her face.

"When we came here this girl was coming out of this... thing." The man on the left explained, pointing to the mysterious object. "She held that bear in her hands, but we snatched it away from her. We destroyed it along with this piece of metal she had that way her homeland would be prevented from finding out where she is. It could be a bomb or tracking device." The second man added, while handing him fragments of metal into his other hand. Albel looked at the pieces with his eyebrows crossed, then threw the shards at them and growled, "Fools, this 'piece of metal' allows us to communicate with her! Now we can't ask her questions! Also, how is a teddy bear some sort of bomb?"

"Sorry," they apologised, in a fearful tone, while kneeling on the ground before him, "We thought that if we destroyed all she had her homeland's plans would be foiled."

"Bah," Albel grunted, crossing his arms around his chest, still holding unto the mangled teddy bear. "Look inside this... I think is a pod, to see any clues. From my experiences when I was with the warriors from another world, they used this 'pod' in case of an emergency while travelling; like a lifeboat on a ship. Search it just in case."

The young girl jumped beside him, still attempting to get the bear from him. Without realising it, she successful grabbed it, holding it on for dear life. Albel felt it escape from his hands, causing him to unsheathe his sword and turning his attention to the girl. She started to sob again, clutching unto the torn-up bear for support. He put the katana back into its sheath and bent his knees, making him around the same height as she. Her eyes stopped watering as she covered her face with the bear. Albel looked back into his memory trying to remember the strange language those warriors spoke in.

"My... name... is Albel Nox." He said, slowly, trying to recall the words, but she didn't respond. "Stupid worms destroying the communicator," he rolled his eyes and sighed. He repeated the same sentence but each time she took a step backwards, away from him. He placed his hands into the pockets of his black pants and pulled out a wrapped steamed bun. Obviously, torturing a girl into answering questions wouldn't do anything since he wouldn't be able to know what she had said. Also, by showing the person trust first, (even if it's false and manipulative) they will return the favour. Unwrapping it, he reached his hand out, offering it to her. The bear slide from one eye of her face, as she looked at the food. He broke off a piece, placing it into his mouth, showing her that the food is safe. Taking one hand away from the bear, she took the bun and shoved it into her mouth. After consuming it she let out a smile and said something foreign to him, which he presumed was "thank you" since her expression changed.

"My name is Albel Nox." He said again, in a friendlier tone. After a pause she replied to him in a cheerful tone, but the only word he could understand was "Esteed." His jaw dropped, as his eyes didn't blink for a moment. He rose in a slothful way, turning his body to face the pod and the soldiers. They were fiddling around with the buttons like some idiotic teenagers who had been drinking too much, causing his expression to turn to a hostile one.

"Leave it!" Albel commanded, as they did what they were told and stood side-by-side in a straight line. "This girl must be related to one of those warriors from the other world. I don't think she is a threat, but we can never be too safe. I'll bring her to the king. Carry this pod to the castle for a further investigation."

"Yes, sir!"

He turned back towards the girl with his usual glare. She had been gathering the batting and pieces of fabric to her bear and tried to stuff it in. Walking towards he, he lent out a hand, trying to see the bear, but she darted it towards her body defensively. Crying children wasn't something he could handle, so he let the idea fall. He brought the horse to her; her eyes lit up as she began to smile and jumped up and down. Picking her up, he was surprised that she didn't squirm or cry. Whenever he went near a child it would scream and run as fast as they could in the other direction, but this girl was related to Sophia, and like Sophia, she was a friend to everyone. The idea of traveling with a smelly child was something he loathed, but it was almost nightfall and the king needed to see this girl. He placed her sideways since she was wearing such a frilling dress and got on behind her. An arm wrapped around her to steady her and prevent her from falling off, (he didn't care if she did but the king did) as he kicked the side of the horse and trotted towards the castle.

By the time they reached the castle the sky was pitch black and night had begun. He jumped off the horse, and then grabbed the girl who was still asleep and still holding the bear. "Wake up." He ordered, gently pushing the girls shoulders. Having a screaming child wake up wasn't something he wanted, but the king will have questioned her. She groaned a bit as heard a yawn. After barking orders to the guards to take care of his horse, he entered the castle and led her by placing a hand on her back behind her shoulders. Children always wondered off on their own, almost as if they needed a leash on them. The torches lit the castle dimly, making it hard for her to climb the unfamiliar stairs to the audience room. After rolling his eyes after so many times tripping; blood started to trickle down her legs as bruises began to form all over her body. When they reached the room, he bowed, motioning her to do the same as the king entered the room.

"I found this girl about a kilometre east from my estate in what the people of the other world would call 'an escape pod.'" He explained. "We don't think this is a declaration of war, but one can never be too sure."

"Can she speak?" The king asked, sluggishly as his eyes were half open. "Where is she from?"

"I don't know. The soldiers destroyed a device allowing us to communicate with her. The only word I got out of her was Esteed."

"If she's just a relative of that warrior then it shouldn't be a problem. Didn't they say when they were with us almost four to five years ago that they were not to associate with us, and us vice-versa? Take care of her while her family comes looking for her since the public shouldn't be involved with her. Maybe it's her niece."

"She was an only child. Can't be her daughter, she has the same last name as Sophia and would have changed when she married. Also, she looks too old and we would have known when Sophia was here." He thought to himself out loud, but his tone changed when he asked: "Why should I take care of her?"

"You found her and you've been to their world. We'll take more about this is the morning." He yawned, exiting the room towards his bedroom.

Albel got up and starred at the girl for a moment. Her hair was the same colour as Sophia's and had the same facial features. Sophia was short with long, lean proportions, much like the girl only her legs were longer than Sophia's. The child's eyes were the colour of black coffee, which was the complete opposite to Sophia's sea green ones. The thing that his eyes rested most on was the mangled bear that she held on so dearly.

_"Aw, this is such a cute teddy bear, Albel!" Sophia squealed, holding up a small bear with a red bow wrapped around its neck. "Thank you so much! Whenever I look at this bear I will surely think of you." _

He gave a growl, fed up with trying to figure out this child and went to find a woman to be this girl's nanny. Taking care of children was something he couldn't handle. He hated children. They way they cry over nothing, and were smelly and dirty, but he hated the most how they were so clingy. He also didn't like how they were babied and lived in an imaginary world, unable to comprehend the harsh realities in life. That's what nannies are for. Also, it was depressing how she was so attached to that torn bear that looked like survived the torture area in the Kirlsa Training Facility. 

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AN: I don't think I will update this in a while since I have four other stories that I'm in the process of writing. One is going to be at least 28 chapters and I'm on chapter three, not even. I finished the Pimp Master C! one so I decided to take on another story. Oh well, this is one of my non-crack fics since I'm a crack fic writer. Oh, the black pants. I like his 3P outfit a lot better than the defalt one because it isn't nearly as gay looking. Well, I can see him being gay. So, when this story imagine the 3P outfit only with his normal hair. Thanks for reading and please review!


	2. Mosel Dunes

(revised on 2 July, 2007)

"I'm not taking it off!" Albel hissed, throwing a tantrum like a spoiled child not being able to get what it wants.

"It's going to turn gangrene if we don't treat it." One of the doctors informed, placing a hand on his metal shoulder, trying to yank it off. "It's either take it off and have us treat it, or have it kill you. If you don't treat it now we might have to amputate it later."

"It's been fine for almost ten years!" Albel growled, drawing his katana. He swung it swiftly, and held it a centimetre by the doctor's throat. "I'll kill you if you try to take my claw off."

"You better do as she says," A young girl getting her ankle treated on the other bed suggested, "I know this world is new to you, but we're just trying to help."

"Why don't you mind your own business and shut the fuck up?" He spoke, coldly. "This doesn't concern a maggot like you, little girl. Besides, I'm not taking my claw off!"

A large thump hit Albel in the back of his head, feeling as if a brick had hit him. His head throbbed as he dropped his sword, and placed a human hand on the back of his head, rubbing it. He would fight back using his claw, but the injury in his shoulder and now on the back of his head prevented him. The flesh around his shoulder started to sizzle, almost melting off from the phase gun blast.

"Don't try to do anything foolish again!" A annoyed female voice roared as she picked up his katana. Albel glared at her venomously and cursed under his breath. She flashed him a smile and brushed her braid away from her face as she got up. Holding unto the sword, she headed for the door and told the doctor, "If he does anything foolish again, call me."

"Thanks, Mirage." The doctor spoke, and then faced Albel with her hands on his hips. "Now, are you going to take your claw off?"

"Fine," he agreed as he slothfully took off his long-sleeved shirt and then his claw. His shoulder began to feel sharp with every movement, but pain was temporary. His entire forearm and hand resembled charcoal; it was blacker than the night time sky, almost lifeless. His hand was also pitch black, including his nails, which was one of limps in the worse conditions. This skin on his lower bicep had been peeling off little pieces with various places that had third-degree burns; the rest of his arm was in perfect condition. The doctor stepped closer to him, and examined the arm while writing notes down on her clipboard.

"We can try to shave off the skin to allow new skin to grow, but first we need an X-ray to see if there is bone damage."

"X...ray?"

"It's when they take an image that goes through the skin and shows the bone." The young girl explained in a cheerful tone. "What happened to your arm? Does it hurt?"

"Didn't I tell you to shut the fuck up and mind your own business, little girl? Say something again and I'll rip out your vocal chords that way you can't speak!"

"In your world being hostile may be acceptable, but here you have to treat people with respect!" The doctor yelled while bringing her arms across her chest to cross them. "Now apologise to her."

"_Sorry_, little girl." He teased with a smirk on his face, while facing her.

"I'm almost eighteen you know!" She pouted, while crossing her eyebrows. Even though she was anger she still had on a smile. It was very faint, but it was a smile.

"You like you're twelve." He laughed out loud with a huge smile on his face. The seventeen year old frowned, then grabbed unto the curtain at the side of the bed and slid it over, creating a separate room. He could her high-pitch voice squeal, "you're mean," through the fabric.

"They don't call me Albel the Wicked for being nice, little girl."

A moment later the doctor screamed, "Wake up," and placed a hand on his shoulder, nudging him. "Hurry and wake up!"

Albel's eyes shot open as he heard a deep voice say, "wake up" to him. Darkness almost filled the room; there was a stream of light coming from the door across from the room which vaguely lit the hallway. His black had lain against a soft mattress, while a duvet cover rested on his body, giving him comfort. He rolled over to face the man beside him and mumbling, "What do you want. It's not even morning!"

"The King wishes to see you."

He let out a groan as he threw the blanket away from his body and dragged himself towards the edge of the bed. The dream he just had a minute ago was still fresh in his memory. He recalled that memory, vividly: it was the first time he had a conversation with Sophia. He had seen her in the Kirlsa Training Facility when those strange looking soldiers emitted a light from what they call a "phase gun" into his shoulder. She was one of the first people to come to him, even though her ankle was twisted. That was like Sophia: putting others before herself even if she didn't know them.

"It's an urgent matter!"

"Shut up!" Albel hissed, stretching his arms up into the air as he planted his feet unto the floor. "You're lucky I don't kill for pleasure anymore."

After he threw his clothes on, and waddled over towards the audience room with his back hunched over and his eyes half open. He stayed in the castle that night since it was already dark when he arrived. The man who woke him up asked: "You would like some coffee to wake you up, sir?" But Albel didn't respond, nor did he even look at him. If it had been four years ago he would have surely slashed open his insides, but not after that event. Entering the vast throne room, a guard sat, kneeling before the king a few metres away from him.

"You call, Your Majesty?" Albel asked, and dumped his entire weight of his body into a bow.

"This man said another 'pod', is that what it's called, crashed." The king spoke, lazily, as he slouched in his throne. His eyes were droopy, occasionally closing and re-opening several times.

"_Who's investigating it_?" Albel suggested, after an award pause of silence.

"Oh, I guess you can since you're here."

Albel growled, quietly under his breath, then spoke in a calmer tone, "Yes, Your Majesty. I'll gather two soldiers and fly on three dragons to the site." He lifted himself up, then sat back down asking, "Where is the site?"

"Mosel dunes."

"Shit," he cursed secretly in a muted tone, but the king heard him.

"Think of it this way, the quicker you capture the person in the 'pod' the quicker you can get rid of the girl. This mission won't post-pone your marriage."

"I'm not worried about that." He quickly said right after the King. "I'll bring the person in the pod to you as fast as I can."

"You are dismissed." 

Albel raised himself up, slowly and made his way down the stairs unto the first floor of the castle. Two men followed him: the one who woke him up and the other who reported the incident from the watchtower. The guard following him grabbed a torch off the wall when he made it to the front door. After gathering food for the day, as well as two soldiers, he met up with the guard and the messenger at the front door. The other guards posted at the door lifted the many pulleys and levers to open it. Grunts were heard from the guards as it took a while for them to open the metal door.

"Tell Mayu I didn't need her after all, but to still care for that child until I return." Albel told the messenger. He nodded and headed the opposite way into the castle. Albel and the guard stepped outside blanketed in blackness, using the torch as the only form of light. They entered the dead city that had been out for the remainder of the night; their steps made a clamour against the stone roads. They reached the soldiers with the air dragons outside the of the city as each of the soldiers, and Albel, hopped on one; the guard hopped on with one of the soldiers.

"What direction in the Mosel Dunes did you see it crash?" Albel asked the guard, as they soared into the air.

"The mountains were covering it up, so I don't know."

"Do your job right! We aren't paying you to star gaze!" Albel growled. The sun awoke shortly after they had left, filling the sky in orange hues. They flew across the land and mountains, heading towards the desert. When they reached it, they lowered the dragons and canvassed the area. The soldier steering the dragon with the guard showed Albel the approximant direction. They looked at looked, but all they could see across the horizon was sand. The sun began to heat the dunes, almost as if it bled magma unto them, roasting their skin. He was used to the mild temperature in the mountains, so for a desert in the spring made his body feel like an oven.

"This is like finding a needle in a haystack!" Albel hissed, as his body began to sweat even more each hour. "The ruins are only ten kilometres away, let's stop there and eat!"

It had been little after noon when they reached the ruins, but seemed longer from searching nothing but sand. He stripped his black, skin-tight shirt off and damped the sweat off of his brow with it. They entered the front hallway, and guided the dragons in it, away from the heat. Albel leaned against one of the chess pieces and slid down and sat unto the cool tiles of the floor. The guards and soldiers took off their heavy armour and laid on the floor.

"This person can't be that far away." Albel thought to himself, digging into his pockets and fetching out the water bottles and food he had in his pockets. His companion's eyes lit up as they crawled their way towards him. He glared at them, taking a large gulp of water, then yelled: "Why should I give you food when you haven't done your job right? The dragons deserve this water more than you do."

"Please, I'm sorry I couldn't remember where it crashed." The guard apologised, with a sore voice. "My throat is so dry, please forgive me."

"Fine," Albel bargained, tossing another one litre bottle at the three of them. They scurried for it, each person pushing and shoving its way for the bottle. Albel rolled his eyes, suggesting, "There is an oasis less than a kilometres from here, worms. Take the dragons with you." The two that didn't get the bottle let out a growl and snatched the reins from the dragons and left the ruins.

After resting for two hours in the ruins, they continued on their journey and searched for the pod. The sun scorched, burning them, which make it harder to control the dragons even though the temperature lowered itself. They reached the southern part of the desert hours later, closer to the Aquarian border, close to Sufferio. Albel lowered his dragon even closer to the ground, trying to get a closer look. The sand had probably blown over it by now, but a person would still be near.

"Over here!" One of the soldiers called out, soaring towards a grey object, poking out in the sand. "I think I found it."

The rest followed, landing beside the object, hundreds of metres away from the cave that goes to Sufferio. From what they could see, the object was pointing vertical. Albel ordered them to dig through the sand, to uncover it. While they dug their way, he made his way over to the cave, starring at the ground. His presumptions were correct: fresh footprints traveled deep into the cave. The footprints weren't the only things that caught his attention; a small card less than ten centimetres in length, as well as a small image stood near the footprints. He picked them up and examined them. The image was of that blue haired Fayt holding that annoying child he found yesterday. Smiles and giggles were worn on their faces almost as if it was captured during a happy moment. He shoved the photo into his pocket, aggressively, and looked at the card. Letters were embossed from the card as numbers were placed underneath them.

_"This is your money?" Albel asked, raising the card towards his eyes, looking at it from various angles._

_"There's money in the card." Sophia explained, handing a similar card towards the woman behind the counter. The woman swiped it on her cash register, then gave it back to Sophia. He looked at the woman strangely when she transferred the card back to Sophia. Normally, when he gave money to someone they kept it._

_"There is money inside of here?" Albel spoke, trying to rip it in half, but Sophia yanked it out of his hands and explained, "Not literally inside. It's like a tab and when you pay for something, the computer tracks the number and hands you a bill every month. It's called a credit card."_

Albel glanced at the letters at the credit card, remember the writings of that language they had. It read: Sophia Esteed. 

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I was sick this week and I didn't feel like writing anything else so I wrote this chapter. That's the problem with starting a story: one ends up abandoning the others. Thanks Dragon Chyld and catesy for the reviews. Thanks for reading this and feel free to add more reviews to the list.


	3. The Phone Call

"Sorry to inform you of this, Your Majesty, but the person in the pod travelled to Sufferio." Albel informed, handing the king a blue, medium sized purse with white straps at the top. "I looked through the cave and found only this purse. No belongings were inside the pod."

"So, this is a 'purse'?" The king asked, twisting it around to see what this object was. "What is it? Is it a threat to Airyglyph? How do you open it?"

"It's something women carry around." Albel explained, as the king handed the purse back to him. "It's a mystery to men what women carry in these things, but it's usually everything. Don't worry, it isn't a threat, Your Majesty."

"Examine it," The king ordered, while drooping his body off to a side while adding in a yawn. "Tell me in the morning what's in this. I'll send a letter to the Queen in Aquaria explaining the situation. We'll have them deal with it while she is in their territory."

Albel gave a sigh of relief, answering: "Yes Your Majesty, I'll examine the purse."

"You are dismissed."

He dragged his body up, and left for his room with Sophia's purse in his hands. It took him two hours to follow the footprints in the cave. He could have just seen the footprints in the cave and left it at that, but determination told him to follow them right towards the end. After all, she could have been eaten by a wolf or something and died. The photo, the credit card, and the purse were the only items in the cave, which were close to each other. The steps were all over the place, accompanied by animal paw prints, indicating a battle in that area. She must have dropped it to fight off the monster, or fled, leaving the purse behind. She made it to Sufferio safely, which allowed him to breathe calmly, and go back towards the soldiers.

He fiddled the knob to his door and entered the room, slamming the door behind. He shuffled over towards his bed and tossed the purse on his desk when he came to it. Dumping his entire body on the bed, he instantly went to sleep with his clothes still on. They left the desert while the sun was setting, and took almost five hours to come back and, again, wake the king. He is still being punished for treason four years ago when he left the Kirlsa Training Facility to join Fayt in fighting Luther without telling the king. When he came back he was arrested and thrown into the prison, much like the time he let Fayt's party get away. Sophia was the first to react by demanding his release. Never underestimate a woman's tears because they saved his life. His new punishment was to destroy the monsters since he was the only one in Airyglyph who could do it. Fayt, Sophia and he were the ones who took care of the west side of Airyglyph to the Traum Mountains. He really hated how Fayt would make googly eyes all over Sophia every second they travelled. Had he no control? Doesn't matter those jerks were gone, at least he that was what he thought.

The sun shone through the window, illuminating the room, as it hung in the mid-day sky. He opened his eyes a smidge, then shot them open all of the way. Lifting himself, frantically, he drove himself out of bed and raced towards the pitcher. He poured water into the bowl and slashed cold water on his face. His eyes blinked, as his body felt refreshed. He then stripped his clothing from himself, including his claw, and chucked them to the side, unto his bed. He paused for a moment to look at his left arm: his skin was flesh colour, but white scars traced around like a maze over his skin. They shaved his skin off and put new patches of skin on from his other arm and thigh. His arm was completely restored, but looked like the arm of Frankstein. Blinking himself back to reality, he washed himself and threw his clothes back on.

He lept into the chair to his desk and opened up her purse. He remembered how a woman's purse was private, but he had no choice. Also, it's what he told the king: it's a mystery to men. Placing the purse upside down, he shook the contents out while miscellaneous objects poured unto his desk. An oval shaped device caught his attention. It was pink and in the centre it had a screen the size of a thumb. He looked at the side and saw a line wrapped around, showing that one can open it. Placing his fingers in the lines, he tried to open it, but had no success. He then examined it and saw two buttons, one on each side, that when pushed together the device flipped open. A keypad with numbers, as well other buttons were inside with another screen. He fiddled with the buttons, and eventually music came out of it and words popped on the screen. Before he could press any more buttons, another melody came with synthesised instruments.

"Is this some sort of music box?" He asked as he pressed the green button.

A pause of silence came as a voice spoke from the device, saying, "hello." "This thing can speak?" He thought to himself as he held the object towards his ear. The voice spoke again, in a static tone, only thing time saying, "Hello, Sophia are you there?"

"Hi?" Albel asked, confused, wondering if this device answered people.

"Albel?" The voice responded, even more baffled than Albel. "Have you seen Sophia?"

"Is this Fayt?"

"Yes, can I ...Sophia?" His words were cut off by static.

"No, she's in Sufferio. I found her purse and this thing. Is your soul trapped in here?"

"Izzy, did you...?"

"Did I what?"

"Isabelle."

"Who's Isabelle?"

"Soph...s...ter"

"Fayt!...Fayt!...Stupid maggot, Answer me!" He yelled into the phone, but a beeping noise came and Fayt's voice disappeared. He mashed several buttons out of rage, releasing the anger he had for this device, until the beeping stopped. Flipping the phone to close it, he looked around to see what else was in this purse. Tubes of lip gloss, scraps of paper, and other odd objects were on this desk, but a wallet and a day planner were the only things that caught his attention. The day planner wasn't anything as special as he thought it would be. Just some scribbles on dates were on the calendar. X marks crossed out the days, but the next event (which was today, even though yesterday and the day before hadn't been crossed out yet) was something he couldn't even read. Tossing the planner aside, he moved onto the wallet. He shoved her credit card and photo into the slots and took out another card with Sophia's picture on it. Her hair was tied up into a bun with pieces at the front flowing just above her shoulders. "Her hair grew back," he thought to himself as he looked at the picture longer. Her lips were a deep crimson and her face was shaped more like a heart, while her cheek and jawbones were more shaped. Her eyes were exactly the same, but her brows were plucked thinner.

A knock banged on the door, starling him, screaming, "The king has waited for you for almost three hours." Albel let out a growl, cramming the items back into the purse, zipping it up. He rolled it under his arm, concealing it, while he walked towards the chamber.

"Nothing special caught my attention." He announced as he bowed. "Just got information that the girls name is Isabelle, the sister of Sophia."

"Looks like this investigation wasn't as important as we thought it would be. You are dismissed."

He marched his way down the stairs and into the quarters all the workers/non-nobility of the castle stayed. When he opened the door the girl's eyes lit up, and raced towards him. She bounced up and down with her arms straight up, squealing, "Up-ies Up-ies!" She held in one hand the bear she cherished; only it had been fixed with a new red ribbon, matching the ones in her hair.

"What is it?" Albel hissed, glaring down at the girl. "What are 'up-ies'?"

"It's when she wants up." Mayu replied, gathering the clothing from her bed into a bag. "She's really affectionate for a young girl."

"Bah," Albel grunted, stepping away from the girl, but she followed him. "I'm not letting you up, go see Mayu. She will let you cling unto her."

"Uncle Nox," the girl spoke in a high pitch, "Up-ies."

"UNCLE?!" Albel blurted in a fearful tone. If he had to fight a battle with pre-schoolers showering him with affection, for sure it would be the only battle he would lose. "I'm not your uncle. You better not call me your father, little girl!"

"Since you rescued her, she sees you as a knight in shinning armour." Mayu explained, throwing the straps to the bag unto her shoulders, "as a father figure because she is little. Since she already has one, she thinks of you as an uncle."

"You really know a lot about children."

"I used to have some of my own."

Mayu picked up the girl and headed out of the quarters. Isabelle, dissatisfied, turned around stretched out her hands towards him while muttering words he couldn't comprehend. Her eyes watered, and a frown covered her face. Mayu looked over her shoulder and faced him, suggesting, "How about you hold onto her?"

"Fine," Albel agreed, rolling his eyes and placed her unto his shoulders. "Only until we get to the horse."

They made their way towards the outside, in the front of the castle to gather his horse. Isabelle would occasionally blanket his eyes with her hands, causing Albel yell, "Stop that!" She would giggle it off and would say something he wouldn't understand with an added, "uncle Nox."

"Why is she so friendly, she doesn't even know me!" Albel complained to Mayu with his eyebrows crossed and eyes narrowed. "She's just like her annoying sister!"

"She's a people-person, she gave hugs to all of the cooks yesterday."

_"I made you some soup." The girl from the doctor's office spoke, while entering his room. The door closed automatically by itself; by the time she placed it on the night table. "Fayt told me some of the flavours from your planet, so I thought this would comfort you."_

_"This is poison, isn't it?" Albel spat, unsheathing his sword, aiming it towards her back. "If you want to kill me, fight me, little girl."_

_"What are you talking about?" She asked, turning herself around a tad, when she realised a sword was right behind her. "What are you doing?"_

_"You poisoned the soup!" _

_"No, why would I do that?" She told him, curling her eyebrows out of confusion. "I don't even know who you are."_

_"Then why are you being so nice?" He questioned, angrier each word he spoke. Her face was expressionless, and neutral, opposite to his, which caused him to put the sword back into its sheath. "You want to know who I am? Sir Albel Nox, captain of the Black Brigade. Try anything foolish and I'll slash that pretty little face of yours and turn your insides out, little girl!" _

_"You're a knight?" She smiled, turning around to face him. "Cool, can I see your sword? Besides I have a name you know, Sophia Esteed."_

_"You want to see my sword, eh?" He spoke, seductively with a smirk on his face. "So this is why you're so nice, little Sophia."_

_"Huh?" She blurted out, as he placed his hands on top of his pants and started to push them down. Turning around very quickly towards the other way, her face went the colour beet red as she threw her hands behind her. "What are you doing? I actually meant your sword! I only caught a glance at it."_

_He pulled his pants back up and crossed his arms, asking, "So you aren't a prostitute?"_

_"No, what made you think that?" _

_"Then why are you being nice to me, especially when you don't know me? The only people who showed me kindness were hookers who wanted money, people who wanted me dead, and people who feared me."_

_"That's really sad. I'm kind to you because that's just who I am?" She giggled, turning around with her eyes closed with a huge smile on her face. "If there is anything you need, ask me."_

_"Humph," Albel sighed, as she left the room._

He handed Isabelle over to Mayu and lifted her sideways unto the saddle. Mayu wrapped an arm around her, while Albel got on the front, and wrapped the other around him, meeting the hands in front of her to protect Isabelle. Albel tapped his heel unto the side of his horse a couple of times and galloped, gently, out of the castle, southeast towards his mansion. The whole time Isabelle was crying out, calling for her mother. Mayu tried to comfort her, but she was stubborn. She spoke to her in the Elicoor language, "We'll find your sister soon," and Isabelle responded with a, "Sophia?"

"I guess she caught unto the language quickly." Mayu added, but Isabelle kept complaining in her language.

"Can you shut that girl up? She's starting to annoy me!" Albel hissed, commanding the horse to move faster. "I hate children."

Half an hour later they reached his mansion. It wasn't nearly as big as the castle, but had the same gothic architecture that was made out of grey bricks. He handed the horse over to the stable boy and entered the house. The butler greeted him, Mayu and Isabelle with a bow. Albel told the butler to show Mayu the spare bedroom for the workers. Mother didn't let people who weren't nobility to sleep on the same floor as the Nox and its guest. The butler took her bag and escorted to a room her behind the grand staircase.

"Who was that, you're mistress." A cold voice snapped, standing on top of the staircase off to the right side of the foyer. "It wouldn't surprise me that you have a child from all of those prostitutes you have fun with."

"I don't have any children and I haven't banged whores in four years." Albel answered, crossing his eyebrows. "The king told me to care for this child so I got one of the cooks at the castle to do it for me."

"Watch the vulgar language! You were the one who picked your bride, at least be faithful to her. Seriously, you should have married Count Noppen's daughter. They made an offer and she's a daughter of a count!"

"His daughter is hideous and snobby! I've seen corpse prettier than her! Be thankful a girl has offered to marry me because I highly doubt that bitch would want to."

"She's a daughter of a count. You're just a knight! It's beneficial for the Nox family. Besides, I don't like that girl you picked. She's probably some prostitute you and a hundred others played with. I don't care if you love her because I won't be attending the wedding."

"Shut up," He growled, ascending the staircase, not speaking a word to his mother when he passed her.

"What is wrong with you?" His mother asked, following him. "You drink constantly and don't get any sleep. What has happened to you these past four years?"

Albel didn't answer. He slammed the door to his bedroom in her face and flopped on his bed, starring into the ceiling, asking, "What did happen to me?" 

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AN: I wasn't going to start this chapter right away, but I thought of the cutest name: Isabelle. Rosalynne is very pretty and Greta as well. (I like old European names, but not granny names like Beatrice and Gladice) It's a good thing I'm too young for children otherwise my daughter will have like ten middle names. It's done and the chapters get longer and longer! Thank you GodessIrui and Dragon Chyld for the reviews! Thanks everyone for reading, and keep reviewing. I really like how people are telling me specifically what they liked about the story. :) Thanks!


	4. Pictures that come to life

"Hey," a soft voice spoke, almost whispering into his ear. He slowly lifted his eyes and moved his body towards the side of the bed. Only moonlight vaguely lit the room, creating silhouettes from the furniture. A girl stood in front of the glass doors heading to the balcony with the front pieces of her hair blowing in sync with the curtains; the rest was pulled back. She took a step closer to him. The moonlight shone on the left side of her face when she sat down on the bed next to him, her legs dangling off to the side.

"Sophia?" Albel asked, in a yawn as he shuffled himself to sit up. She looked out into the doors, and gazed outside. Moving closer to her, he spoke again, "Why are you here," but her attention was outside. "Sophia, answer me! You said we would never see each other again!" He demanded, but her mouth was silent. Looking the same direction as hers, he saw a silhouette of a man. His height was about half way between Sophia and him with a fairly lean built. He walked towards Sophia, planting his lips on hers, pushing her unto her back. Albel growled, "Get off of her, you sick pervert!" She placed a hand on the strange man's chest, as Albel's eyes started to twitch.

Albel went the opposite direction towards his night table, fishing out a candle from its drawer. He lit the match, then moved himself around to face the couple. The man looked up, away from the girl and glared at Albel, hissing in a hostile tone, "Do you mind?"

Sophia pushed her hand up towards the man's chin, lifted her head up, and then turned his face to kiss him. Albel shuffled towards the very edge of the bed, away from the couple. Out of curiosity he lit the candle, illuminating the space around him. Albel let out another growl, nearly dropping the candle unto the fabric, though he was tempted to throw it at the man that moment. The man's hair was the colour of the ocean with stubble on his chin--it was the image of Fayt in that photo.

Albel shot his eyes open and jumped himself towards a sitting position. The sun gleamed right beside his room, nearly blinding him with its rays. Albel frantically moved towards his left, positioning himself in front of the doors. He looked down towards his bed and moved his hands around the blankets. No one was in his room. Looking up into the glass, he saw nothing but a bright, sunny day without a cloud in the sky. He flopped backwards, landing on his pillows with a hand to his head, sighing, "Good, it was just a dream." But the sweat covering his entire body said it was more like a nightmare.

Bile was starting to makes it's way up his throat, as he could feel the acidy in his mouth. He swung his arms to grab the chamber pot from under his bed, knocking over the empty bottles off of his night table. They smashed like shards of crystal unto his floor, shrieking into his ears and almost hitting him when they jumped up. His head pounded like a drum and his stomach was about to burst. He opened the drawer to his night table and felt his way around, landing his fingers on a vial. He popped the lid open using his thumbs and chugged it contents down. He tossed it away on the ground, and rolled himself out of the bed, nearly falling unto the broken glass.

He waddled towards the pitcher and bowl to wash himself, then slothfully put on his clothes, sword and claw. A while later, the potion he consumed started to kick in, eliminating some of his hangover. He strolled towards the glass doors, opened them, and headed to the balcony. Dumping himself to lean over the side, he saw Mayu and that girl in the garden helping the gardener plant the spring flowers. Isabelle's eye's lit up as she let out a giggle and jumped up and down to each flower she saw. He let out a "bah," squinting his eyes into the other direction. He didn't know why they had a garden, (he hated flowers as much as he hated children) but it was something mother enjoyed. Focusing his attention back on the people, especially Isabelle, he starred at them. He had no clue whom she was and with his lack of knowledge around children he didn't even know her age. She could have been seven for all he knew, or even six months; if she was Sophia's sister why was there a huge gap in age? Cousin's child perhaps? Then why was Fayt in the picture? Can't be Fayt's kid, her last name was Esteed.

Isabelle sat down for a moment, clinging unto her bear for dear life, almost like the time he tried to get her to say her name. Mayu looked at her and placed a hand to her forehead, then immediately snatched her in her arms, and spoke to the gardener with a concerned look on her face. The gardener nodded, fled, and ran towards the stables, away from Albel's view. Mayu slowly walked towards the back door with Isabelle in her arms, while she whispered to her, trying to comfort her. Albel raced out of his room and dashed down the staircase towards the worker's quarters.

"What's wrong with her?" Albel demanded, as he stood in the bedroom door. "Does she have a plague? She might have infected the castle! Maybe even me!"

"It's more than a fever." Mayu replied, soaking a cloth into water. "I'm sorry but I don't know what happened to her. I'll check her pulse."

After she placed the cloth on Isabelle's forehead she held unto her wrist, and placed fingers on it for a few seconds. Her lips curled to a smile, saying, "Her heart beat is fine." Albel placed a hand over his nose and mouth and walked into the room.

"I don't think you can catch what she has." Mayu told him. She normally spoke cheerfully but after checking Isabelle's forehead she had a frown on her face, almost as if tears were starting to form.

Albel ignored her instructions and continued towards Isabelle with his lower face covered. Sweat started to pour out of the Isabelle, while her face scrunched up, pointing to her left arm.

"Something's wrong with her arm, check it!" Albel ordered, as he examined the child. Mayu lifted her left sleeve upwards but revealed nothing. When she pushed her sleeve higher, her eyes started to water and placed a hand over her mouth.

"What," he asked, pushing her sleeve a tad to see the problem. A rash of dark red spots covered her entire left shoulder. He jolted away from the girl, running towards the doorway, yelling, "Call a doctor! She has some sort of disease!"

"I asked the gardener to go to-"

"No, she needs a doctor from either the Royal City of Airyglyph or Kirlsa or to cure this." He interrupted. "Who knows what she has. Are there anymore unusually rashes on her?"

"No, but she does bruise easily."

"I'm going to Aquaria!" He announced, heading out of the room. "I'm not catching this pestilence! The sooner I find Sophia, the sooner this diseased child can go away!"

Albel marched his way out of the quarters and up the staircase, back into his room. Seating himself to his desk, he opened the purse again, and shook the contents out of it. He stuck his head in the purse, examining the insides of it. "Ah, ha," he blurted out, seeing another compartment into it. A small zipper off to the side of the inside of the purse was hidden. He unzipped the small pouch and pulled out a container and a box out of it. The container was an orange cylinder with a white top and a white label on the front of it. It was clear, revealing it was half full of capsules. The only thing he could read off of the label was " Isabelle Esteed, one, and day." The other was a box covered with cartoon animals with another label on it, only in words he couldn't comprehend. He opened it up, revealing another bottle (this time rounder) with liquid in it. A card and an instructional manual were also inside the box. He unfolded the paper; different letters and symbols were broken into different paragraphs. Skimming through the paper, he saw words he understood.

"This is a painkiller, eh?" Albel thought to himself, putting the bottle and paper back into the box. His eyes fixed unto the card. He immediately yanked the day planner from his desk and flipped though the event written on the day that should have been two days ago. The words on the top of the card matched some of the words on the day planner. "I guess they were going to this event needing this card," he presumed. He examined the card a little longer. The name "Esteed, Isabelle" and some other word beside Isabelle were written on one line, "twenty-nine some word seven seventy-four" on the other. He turned some pages back and found the mysterious word on the second line matching the word on top of the day planner. "So, she just turned three on the second month of this year," his thoughts spoke out loud.

He shoved the card back into the box and placed it in his hand as well as the orange container. Leaving the room, he headed back down stairs, only to be interrupted by his mother.

"What is with that child?" She asked, following him down the stairs. Turning to the butler, she instructed him to grab her bags in her room.

"She has some disease." Albel replied, not even looking at her.

"I'm staying in the cottage in the mountains! There is no way I'm catching what she has! Why did you have to find this child?"

"I don't think you can catch it." He informed. When he made his way down the stairs he paused for a moment turning her to say, "It's going to be a while to find Sophia. I'm going to have to post-pone the wedding."

"Again! This is the third time! Are you even going to marry that whore?"

"Yes," he hissed looking in the other direction, while rolling his eyes.

"What will be the next excuse? Next time you post-pone the wedding you're marring Count Neppon's daughter!"

Albel glared at her, walking fast towards the quarters.

"Hey, if you married his other daughter three years ago you would have had the pretty one!"

"Fine, I'll marry that bitch!" Albel roared; slamming the door to the room Mayu and Isabelle were in. The sound echoed in the dark foyer, almost as noisy as the slam.

"I thought you wanted to marry that skank? I guess not." His mother yelled out, in a teasing manner. Silence came out of that room, not responding to her question.

"Uncle Nox," Isabelle cried out, holding unto her bear with her right arm, with her left arm exposed.

"I found her medicine." Albel announced, placing his right sleeve over his mouth, and handing the box and container to Mayu. "The orange one she needs to take once a day, and the box whenever she is in pain."

"Hurry and find her!" Mayu spoke out as tears rolled down her face. "I end up killing children around me. First my children and husband die in a fire, then I was hired to be a nurse for Her Majesty's child. Turns out the day before I got there she delivered a dead child. Now I she's dying."

"I remember you, you were the clumsy cook in the Kirlsa Training Facility!"

"That would be me," She said, quietly with her cheeks reddened. "I have the worse luck."

"You better not kill this child, because Sophia would never forgive me!" Albel spoke, coldly as he narrowed his eyes. He exited the room and headed towards the kitchen to gather some supplies before he made it on his journey.

_"Why did you invite your friend, Fayt." Maria hissed in a quiet tone. "She's so weak and wasting all of our supplies!"_

_"Too late now," Fayt replied while shrugging his shoulders. "It's a good thing we took her to Moonbase instead of making her start to fight now."_

_"A woman like her should be cooking instead of fighting." Albel blurted out, lifting himself out of his chair to the conference room. Maria flashed him a glare, and placed her hands on and off of her gun, as if she had a dilemma to shoot him._

_"Excuse me, a woman should be cooking?" Maria hollered, lifting herself up to slam her hands on the desk. "You chauvinistic sexist pig! Women don't have to be your slave, you know!"_

_"How many times did you ask her to join you, Fayt?" Albel asked, with a smirk on his face. "Did she really say yes when you asked her?"_

_"She did, Albel! She wanted to fight. Like Maria said, women aren't inferior to men!"_

_"Did she want to fight or did she want to join her friends? Again, did she say yes the first time you asked her?"_

_"No, but-"_

_"And did she not make these cookies without anyone forcing her?"_

_"She can do whatever she wants to!" Maria growled, but her comment made Albel laugh out loud in a chuckle. "What's so funny? Don't like the idea of women being equal to men?"_

_"No, I adore irony!" He smiled as he left the conference room. Sophia stood outside the doorway to the conference room with her eyes watering up, almost bumping into him. Her face was down, and hands held together in front of her._

_"What is it, little Sophia?" He asked, hostilely with his dark eyes glaring at her._

_"Am I really that much of a burden?" She questioned as a tears ran down her face. _

_"Yes, go bake a cake instead!" He replied, marching a couple of steps before Sophia yelled, "Do you really think women should just cook and clean all day?"_

_"Would you rather kill lives, maybe even humans, or bake a cake?"_

_"I have to fight." She cried out, as she fell to her knees. "You're strong, teach me how to fight!"_

_"No!"_

_"Please, women can fight just as well as men."_

_"Fine then kill me!" He yelled out, tossing her his sword. "Go on, kill me."_

_Sophia caught the sword, but ended up falling in front over the weight of it. She unsheathed it a couple of centimetres, but placed it back and shook her head. Standing up, she offered his sword back to him._

_"I'll kill you if you don't kill me!" He roared, placing his claw loosely around her throat. "Come on, kill me! Just one thrust into my stomach and I'll be died."_

_Sophia looked at him and his word in her watery eyes. Her vision was almost blurred. He squeezed around her neck a tad, but able for her to breathe. _

_"Kill me." _

_"I CAN'T!" She squealed out at the top of her lungs, as tears poured down like a waterfall. She dropped the sword and her body unto the floor, causing Albel to let go of her neck. He picked up the sword, placed it back on his belt, and spoke, "It's not because you're a woman, or weak, it's because you have no motivation to kill." _

_"Then teach me to want to kill." She wept, clinging unto his legs. He turned himself around and walked down the hall, having Sophia being dragged across the floor until she let go of him. "Teach me!"_

_"No!"_

_"Why not?"_

_"Do you really want to be labelled a psychotic killer without any empathy and having the people around you to run away whenever they look at your face? Do you want people to alienate you and have no friends, not even your mother to love you?"_

_"I need to fight."_

_"An innocent girl like you shouldn't stain their hand with blood. If you want to help, go ask the doctor to teach you how to treat injuries. It's really cheap to die from poison or an infection."_

_Sophia stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes and replaced her frown with a smile. "You're right," She called out to him in her high-pitched voice that was cheerful. "Thank you!"_

_"Whatever."_

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AN: I'm writting this before the story, (after reading the reviews) buy my notes are always after :) I can sense the frustration everyone has on figuring this story out and I'm so happy! I know that sounds mean but when writting this I kept thinking, "man, this is so obvious everyone is going to get it." I'm glad that I accomplished that feeling I want my readers to feel since it is a mystery fic. I hope no one ends up having axeity disorders because of this story. I want my readers to feel puzzeled with a desire to read more, not stressed out and not being able to sleep or eat. You want to know who Sophia ends up with? Well, keep reading! Wait until I finish this story:P I feel like a jerk but it wouldn't be the same if I just tell the whole story all at once. Dragon Chyld, Diamond Mask had Albel and his father mention his mother in Twisted Logic, but she wasn't actually in the story. (great fic) Wow, I'm happy I was the first (that I know of) to add his mother in the story. This note is really long so I'll cut it short by saying I might do a prequel after this and thank you for reading and thank you so much for reviewing, GoddessIrui and Dragon Chyld. :)


	5. Drinks

Albel starred at the bottle before raising it up off the table and into a glass cup, the size of something a child would drink out of. He slid it over across the table and poured the liquid into another small glass and drank it all in one gulp. It tasted bitter, but the aftertaste burned into his mouth. Pouring another glass, he took another shot and slammed the glass on the table.

"This is really strong!" Claire blurted out with her tongue sticking out and her eyes squinted. "Anyways, how's life with that kid?"

"Annoying as hell," Albel growled, as Claire tossed her shot glass to him.

"Who is she?" Claire asked, catching her newly filled cup. "I heard that's her sister, but is that true?"

"Who knows, who cares."

"Maybe it's Fayt's kid." Nel spoke, seating herself to a chair in between Claire and Albel. "They did have something going on while they were here."

"Why the hell would her last name be Esteed?" Albel roared, as he slouched over to take another shot. Before he could pour himself another one, Nel snatched the bottle from his hands, saying, "I think you and Claire had enough. We have to search the Palmira Plains tomorrow and I don't want _some people_ to be lazy because they were hung over."

"I can still walk." Claire answered, taking another shot of alcohol.

"Didn't Maria say that women don't have to change their name's when they get married in her world?" Nel pointed out, reaching her arms over towards the cupboard behind her to take a shot glass from it.

"Maybe that's why she has her last name." Claire smiled, leaning herself to the side of the table with her arm stretched out towards Nel with a cup in her hand.

"Or Fayt was a pathetic, deadbeat dad."

"He was in a picture with the girl so I don't think he's a deadbeat dad." Albel added, pointing towards the purse that sat on the opposite side of the table. Nel filled Claire's glass and set the bottle down, then reached over to grab the purse off of the table. She fiddled the zipper open and pulled out a wallet and looked at Albel. He nodded in response, causing her to open it and browse the slots. Soon she had found the picture of Fayt and Isabelle. The side of her lips curled upwards in a smile as she looked at the photo.

"She does look like Sophia." Nel commented, and handed the photo to Claire. "Judging by this picture I'd have to say he's the father. Unless she was raped or something."

"Raped?"

_The chains were digging into his arms, causing imprints all over it. He pushed them out, despite the sharp pains, but only to have gotten nowhere, not even a centimetre. His legs tried to move freely, but they had been tightly tied up, holding him against the wall. Blood oozed out of his body, as he could feel the bones crush when he moved his body forward._

_"GET YOUR HAND'S OFF OF HER, YOU SICK BASTARD!" Albel snarled at the top of his lungs. His body was filled of adrenalin, right down to the pit of his stomach. He could hear his own heart pressing against his chest._

_"Jealous that you can't have a turn?" The man wearing an iron masked teased, placing a knife underneath Sophia's throat. "Even punishers need love."_

_"THAT'S WHAT PROSTITUTES ARE FOR, YOU FUCKING PERVERT!"_

_"Fay-" Sophia cried out, but the punisher placed his hand over her mouth to silence her. Tears rushed down her face like Niagara Falls as her body started to feel like jelly. _

_"Go ahead and try to get out of those chains." The punisher smirked, and used his knife to gild on her cheek, then licked the ribbon of blood off. "I'm going to have a little fun before I execute you for treason. Too bad you're all tied up. I was going to let you fuck her dead body."_

"Albel?" Nel called out, waving her hand over his face. He blinked back to reality, and took another shot of alcohol. His tongue started to get used to the horrible taste, making the aftertaste unable to tingle inside his mouth.

"We should talk about our wedding Albel, it's soon." Claire suggested with her words slurred. She gave a hiccup and passed her cup over towards Nel but she pushed her hand away saying, "You have a low tolerance for alcohol, Claire. I think you had enough."

"I knot dunk!" Claire pouted with her face as red as Nel's hair. "I onny had four shots!"

"You had at least eight." Albel added, as Nel filled his cup with the clear liquid. "About half of those shots are pure alcohol. You're tiny so you have to watch yourself."

"When we gett'n marr-eeed?" Claire asked like a small child. "I wuv you Nel, you my bestest bestest friend!" She blurted out, waddling over towards Nel, practically falling on her with a hug. "I wuv you too, Albel!"

"I think you should drink water and sleep." Albel insisted, in a rough voice, handing her a canteen of water. Claire snatched it, in a sloppy manner then chucked the entire thing down. "We'll get married after we find that annoying Sophia."

"Someone had enough to drink." Nel commented on Albel's change in the tone of his voice.

"I tell you when I have enough!" Albel hissed, flinging his fist in a lazy punch, which Nel didn't have any trouble to dodge. "Let's get married tonight, Claire!"

"Sure!" Claire giggled, throwing her arms around Albel's neck, causing him to move backwards on his chair. They landed on the ground and laid there while they chuckled. Nel gazed upon them, with her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes.

"It's almost midnight, how are you going to get married?" Nel asked, shaking her head.

"I dunno."

She picked up the empty bottle off of the table and towering above them. Claire, swung her arms upwards towards the table and climbed her way up, as she stood up, her legs wobbled. Albel rolled his body off to the side, and lifted himself up, using the wall as support."

"Let's make out, Claire. Then we'll be married!" Albel suggested. His vision was starting to blur as his body felt dizzy.

"Okay," Claire replied as she embraced him. They walked out of the parlour and into the hallway; Albel used the walls as a guide. When they made it towards the stairs Claire pointed out, with a laugh, "Oh, my dad upstair. If he hearz us he will kill you."

"Let's have sex on the roof!" Albel answered, then used the rail to crawl up the stairs.

"AWESOME!"

"Oh, dear." Nel sighed, raced up the stairs, taking a large step above their bodies and made it to the top. "No one is having sex on the roof. I can't believe I am babysitting a twenty-nine and a twenty seven year old."

"Oh," Claire pouted as they made it to the top. "Let's go out and paint the town red!"

"Doing what?" Nel questioned, while she crossed her arms. "This is Arias, what are we going to do? Besides we are leaving right after sunrise."

"Go to sleep, Claire!" Albel demanded, throwing her over his shoulder and waddling over towards her bedroom. "Save yourself when we marry."

"Ha, we've done it before in that cave, remember Albel? I almost got pregnant, fool, but it came a week late so we're good."

"Did you really need to tell me that?" Nel spoke out before Albel could reply. Darting into her bedroom, she slammed the door behind her. "Night! You are all on your own! Don't complain to me about anything in the morning, or six weeks from now!"

00000000000

"She must have run off to Aquios." Nel explained as they entered the streets of Peterny. The party followed her as their heels clicked against the coble flooring. The rain gently sprinkled the city as the clouds the covered drab sky in a thick blanket.

"Let's hurry and find the inn, I'm soaking wet!" Claire suggested, holding her hands on the opposite arms, shivering. "It's freezing! Gah, I hate the rain season and it just started!"

"It's spring in Aquaria, it's not cold!" Albel spoke, in his usual stern voice. "It wasn't nearly as rainy as before. I like the rain."

"The Inn is only a ten minute walk."

"Five if we run!" Claire added, jogging down the streets with her back hunched over.

"You go to the Inn, I'll be in the tavern." Albel informed, as they spit the paths, Nel, Claire headed to the left while Adrey and Albel went in the opposite direction.

"It's been thirty years since I've been to a tavern." Adrey broke the silence. Albel looked behind him, realised that he had followed him, and looked ahead. "I heard there is a beautiful garden nearby."

"I hate flowers."

"You could always give them to Claire." Adrey hinted, but Albel ignored him. His expression changed, as his eyes narrowed, and spoke in a disproved voice, "If you break my daughter's heart I'll literally break yours."

"Fine, I'll give her flowers!" He rolled his eyes, turning towards the street he just pasted. He paused for a moment, facing against the way he had been walking to add, "I hate that garden. Let's buy flowers from somewhere else."

"They say the girl who took care of this garden's soul is protecting the garden to this day."

"What a waste of time. If I were dead I wouldn't be taking care of a bunch of weeds."

_"Don't you have something else to do?" Albel hissed, and glared at her with his arms crossed. "They are just plants."_

_"They're so beautiful!" Sophia smiled, kneeling down to smell the sweet fragrance. "Fayt told me that he met the girl who took care of this garden. I apparently look like her. He said that she travelled here during the war and her family is still in Airyglyph."_

_"Traitor," Albel blurted out. "It's a good thing she died otherwise the she would have been executed for treason."_

_"I wonder how here family is doing. Do they even know that she's dead? Do they have the disease she died from?" Sophia asked, philosophically, as she placed her hands over her mouth, with a surprised look on her face. "What happens if they are ill! Medicine here can't treat her illness. I hope I find them and help them out."_

_"Don't waste your time. They are already going to die, so what's the point in helping them out?"_

_"They may be dying, but they shouldn't have to die so young, especially if she has younger siblings." Sophia protested, as she stood firm and looked at him in the eye. "I'm going to find that family and treat them from their illnesses. Someone with a beautiful soul shouldn't suffer."_

_"Don't waste your time."_

"Illness," Albel thought to himself, but the word was told out loud.

"Are you drunk already?" Adrey asked, starring at him with a strange look on his face. "You better not be as violent as you are when you are intoxicated. You touch my daughter and I will kill you!"

"I'm not violent when I'm drunk, nor when I am sober," Albel defended himself, reversing his view and marched towards the garden. "Not any more."

"Good."

Albel plucked a tulip and some marigolds from the garden, fiercely, releasing his anger with every pluck. He held the bouquet in his right hand, looked at Adrey and asked, coldly, "There, happy?"

"I'm not the one who you want to make happy, now is it."

"Look, I love your daughter and I treat her right. I'm not some jerk who beats up their wife and fucks other women. Those men deserve to die. I don't need flowers to tell her I love her."

"Yes, but women love flowers--get used to it." Adrey added, placing an arm around Albel's shoulder, causing him to glare at the old man. "You remind me somewhat how I was thirty years ago before I met Claire's mother. Now, let me buy my new son-in-law a drink."

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AN: You're going to have to keep reading to find out, Dragon Chyld! I hope this chapter will answer some of your questions :) Sorry that this chapter is short, but it's a little lighter (well except for that one flashback) :( I think Claire was 22 in the game, but I could be wrong. I wonder how one can have drunken roof sex. DO NOT ATTEMPT! Wouldn't they fall off or because of um...pushing would they slid up? Maybe a flat roof would be better than an angluar one. I think I'm the first person to write an Albel and Claire fic. (Tell me if there are anymore!) Woot I feel special, but I think they make a great couple. Adrey is somewhat like Albel and women go after men who resemble their father. Thanks for the reviews, Dragon Chyld and Goddess Irui. Thank you for those who added my story to their favourites and story alerts! Thanks to my friend Ice Seraphim for reading this over. I would like to read people's presumptions to this story!

Edited stuff: Just the do not attempt disclaimer


	6. A Strange Reunion

Albel waddled around the streets, clung unto Adrey for support, as he did the same. He raised the bottle to his lips and took the final gulp, then tossed it off to the side. It smashed against the cobblestone street and shattered into fragments. His other hand held unto the flowers still, but where somewhat whithering away and bent. They had started to stain his hands green as the chlorophyll rubbed unto him. The rains sprinkled the streets, which damped unto his hair, and made him feel a cool sensation against his cheeks, eliminating the heat. They entered the hotel, and made their way to their room, and held unto the walls for support.

"I got you flowers, Clair!" Albel greeted, as he started to walk by himself, but fell in front of him, and smacked his face on the floor. Clair raced towards him, and placed her hands on his shoulders and turned him around to put his head on her lap. He moved his arm towards her, shoving the flowers in her face. She took them and thanked him. Adrey continued to use the walls as an escort and sprawled his arms across and fell unto one of the beds.

"Drinking excessively is bad for ones health." Nel pointed out, placing her hands on her hips, and eyed Adrey. When she heard a snore she faced the couple and let him be.

"Shut up!" Albel roared, with his words slurred. "I'm thirty in a year and I don't need to be told what to do!"

Clair helped him up as walked him towards the other bed. He shuffled himself on it and dumped his body on the bed, with his eyes half open. Clair crawled over him and sat beside him cross-legged.

"Fayt's soul seems to be trapped inside some pink, oval device with a stick hanging out of it." Clair broke the silence. Albel's eyes shot open and moved his head in her direction.

"He isn't trapped inside, it's a communication device." Nel added, as she dropped some blankets and a pillow on the floor. "He's coming here in less than three weeks. Sophia and Isabelle were going to a hospital far from where they lived for treatment. He said that the ship they went on was on the news because the engine exploded."

"Sophia needs treatment?" Albel spoke, in a concerned tone. "What the hell did Fayt do?"

"Apparently it was for Isabelle." Clair assured, moving her legs and lied down on her side, facing Albel.

"What's wrong with that child?" Albel asked, in a disgusted tone. "I better not get her disease."

"He didn't say," Nel replied, "A strange sound, I think they call it static, kept disturbing the conversation. That's all we got out of him."

"I see, tomorrow we should go to Sufferio to get some clues. We need to split into groups: Duggas Forest and Aquios."

"I'll go to Aquios." Nel answered, as she made a bed out of the blankets in between the two. "She's around here so we might as well have Isabelle here. Albel, you pick her up while we go"

"I'm going to Sufferio!" Albel complained, in a drunken tone.

"I'll go," Clair suggested.

"You and Adrey go to Sufferio, Albel. Meet back here and the three of us can go to the forest."

"Why not have someone check the forest while one checks out Sufferio?" Albel complained, again, while he yanked the candle from the night table. "We'll figure this out in the morning." He informed, blowing out the candle.

00000

He marched along the path full of soil, and held his katana in his right hand, claw on his right shoulder. Drips of blood seeped into his shirt, leaving a crimson stain, as drops slowly fell unto his claw mixing in with the rain. He muddled a, "cheap shot, stupid worm" under his breath, as he fled the battle scene, victorious. After destroying the executioners, the beasts that roam around the Sanmite Steppes were as easy to defeat as ants. Wiping the blade clean against his pants, he continued on his journey to Sufferio. The rains kept pouring down, dropping out of the sky like buckets. Albel increased his speed to a jog and ran up all the way up the hill where he could see the opening for Sufferio in the distance. Water dumped itself, which caused him to seek shelter under a tree.

He smiled, as he watched the showers across the horizon on the hilltop. Airyglyph got rid of the rain and snow season and replaced with a sunny and warm season that made his shoulders shudder in disgust. Seeing the rain sprinkle unto the valley below him made him stop to rest. Fishing through his supplies, he pulled out a container of pasta salad and a fork, and started to have lunch. Half-an hour later, the rains started to settle down. He finished up his food and took care of the cut on his shoulder then made his way over towards the pathway.

Five hours later he made it towards the gate of Sufferio. The town was a secluded paradise when people wandering around Sanmite Steppes might not notice where it is. In the winter, contrary to Airyglyph, the streets of Sufferio are flooded with people enjoying the outdoors, but the rains hindered people from exiting from their homes. He first went to the general store. Water dripped from his clothes and left puddles on the wooden floors, but he continued to make his way towards the sales clerk behind the counter.

"Have you seen a girl around here?" Albel asked. He picked up a cloak from the hanger and dried himself with it, while laying a couple hundred fol coins on the counter. "She has brown hair, and in her early twenties? She passed her over a week ago."

"Oh her," the clerk replied, "She came here to buy a couple of supplies."

"So she went on a journey? Any idea's where she was going?"

"It seemed like it. She didn't say where she was going."

"Humph,' Albel sighed, as he stormed out of the store. He used the cloak he had purchased onto of his armour. It didn't provide much protection from the rain since his skin felt clammy and like a prune.

Making his way down the streets, he headed for the village elder's house. An inn was something he would have preferred, but information and roof over his head rested inside that house. He banged on the door, awaking the deaf, as the water from the roof flooded down in large drops bouncing off his head. Roger opened it. He grew almost fourty centimetres from the last time Albel had seen him four years ago. His jaw was more shaped and his face started to mature Albel almost didn't recognise him.

"Albel?" Roger asked, still in his high voice. "What brings you here."

"Have you seen Sophia?" Albel hissed, as he barged in, inviting himself in. "About a week and a half ago she was here."

"She was here, and man she's hot!"

Albel turned around to glare at the boy. He yanked his cloak off of him, and chucked it at Roger in an anger tone. His mother entered the front hallway, with a smile on her face, greeting, "Oh hello, you must be that man from Airyglyph." She then made her way to one of the bedrooms, yelling in a positive tone, "Please make yourself at home! You can stay the night in the guest room. Allow me to get you a towel and some clean clothes."

"So, where is she?" Albel asked, as he leaned over to take off his boots.

"She said she needed to find someone."

"Who?"

"A girl named Isabelle, maybe her sister or something. We went to retrieve her purse but it went missing. After that she left town in a hurry."

"Nel has it, I found it." Albel informed as he entered the guest bedroom. Missus Huxley was in there, folding the pajamas in her hands unto the bed along with some clean clothes. She turned to him, apologising, "Sorry, I don't think these will fit since your body shape is the opposite to ours. Stanice left some clothes behind when she became an inventor in Peterny. They might be too girly and too small, but I would presume it's better than my husbands clothes."

"Do you remember that girl who was here a week ago?" Albel asked, as he picked up the top to the pajama to examine it. "Her name is Sophia."

"Oh, she is such a sweet girl." Roger's mother spoke, cheerfully as she bounced to towards a shelve to hand him a towel. "As soon as she came here she left. Didn't say where, just that she needed to find Isabelle."

Albel was silent. He threw the shirt back on the bed and took the towel from missus Huxley. When she trailed out of the room, she added, "I'll make you some soup since you must be cold. Which soup do you prefer?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Tell me when you get hungry." She smiled. Stepping into the doorway, she placed her hand on the knob and closed it for him to give him privacy. He stripped his wet clothing off and placed it on the valet at the foot of the bed, along with his claw and other belongings. Droplets that clung unto his body while in clothing fell off of him and created a small pool of water at his feet. He patted himself to dry, allowing his skin to feel fresh, before he dressed himself into the pajamas. The shirt almost reached his stomach and the pants looked more like Capri pants on him, but his slim frame made it possible for him to fit into the clothes. He pushed the blankets to create an opening, and crawled into the twin-sized bed before he blew out of the candle.

_Black was the only colour he could see. Pure darkness surrounded the space he was in. He swung his arms around as he took tiny steps into the space, but felt nothing. He could taste the smell of blood, rotting near him. The only thing he could hear was a whimper behind him; a cry of pain that sounded like a young girl._

_"Albel," it gagged as he could hear blood rush out of her mouth._

_Turning around, he saw the image of Sophia from four years ago. Her chest was poured out blood, as it flooded unto the floor. She only moved her mouth, which quivered, and no words came out. He ran to her, asking out of anger, "What happened? Who did this to you?"_

_"You.."_

_He looked at his hands; a knife was in his right hand as scarlet liquid covered both. His eyes shot open as he stepped backwards. His hands shook, dropping the knife. Even though he was away from her, the knife landed directly on her heart. She didn't move._

_"You call yourself a man?" A deep voice asked behind him. He turned around and saw an image of a man that looked almost identical to him only older. "You couldn't even protect her! You're not my son! You're a disgrace to the Nox family! How dare you kill an innocent girl!" It shouted, as a woman stood beside him. _

_"I think his cousin should inherited the Nox title, don't you think Glou?" His mother barked, with cold eyes staring at him. "Clearly, a Nox wouldn't harm an innocent girl."_

_"You bastard!" Another familiar voice screamed. "You killed the woman I loved!"_

_Fayt appeared beside him, on the opposite side to his family, holding Isabelle in his arms against his chest. Isabelle's eyes were watering as she placed both hands on the bear. Instead of clutching unto it, she ripped it in half; the batting clumped unto the floor. She then tossed the halves on the ground while the tears on her face poured._

_"You call yourself a man, you couldn't even protect her!" _

_"Sorry," Albel cried, "I didn't mean to."_

_"Murderer!" All three of them hissed. "You let her die."_

_"It wasn't my fault, it was the punishers!" Albel spoke in his defence, but all three of them took steps closer to him._

_"Well, Isabelle was named after you, that way everyone will know her sister's murderer! "Fayt yelled at him, as he inched closer. "We were going to get married, but I guess that's not going to happen!" _

_"Sorry," Albel cried, as he stepped backwards, but they kept following him._

_"Murderer, murderer, murderer," they chanted, including Isabelle, while pointing figures at him._

_"I'M SORRY"_

Albel jumped up out of the bed and sat on top of it. Sweat dripped from his face as his heart raced, and pounded against his chest. The room was half-lit as the sun hid behind the clouds in the sky. The door ripped open as Roger and his family dashed in, almost tripping over themselves.

"Are you okay?" Mister Huxley asked, as his wife placed a hand on Albel's forehead. It felt cool against his warm skin.

"You have a fever," she screamed, "Roger, could you please get me a wet cloth?"

"I'm fine!" Albel growled a fake smile, but didn't give his signature glare since they were so hospitable.

"Was it just a bad dream?" Mister Huxley questioned, as Roger ran out of the room to fetch a wet-cloth. "Have you an illness?"

"I knew that brat gave me something!" He thought to himself, but replied, "Yes, it was just a dream. I'm fine."

"Let me make you some breakfast." Missus Huxley offered, as the two of them walked towards the end of the room, near the doorway. "Waffles or eggs?"

"Eggs," Albel responded, as he threw the covers off the bed and sid out. "They are quicker to make and I need to leave."

"Leaving so soon? If you are in the area, make sure you stop by." Missus Huxley smiled, as she reached for the doorknob.

"That reminds me of a story!" Her husband spoke, which Albel was tempted to roll his eyes. "Back when I was a lad, I traveled around and spend the night beside a bear. The bear was about this big, or was it this big-"

"Finish your story another time, dear." She cut him off, while closing the door. Albel was thankful for it since he had heard him say this story numerous of times. "This man is in a hurry."

He made his bed and tossed the pajamas unto it. There was a reason why women's pants were different from men's. It was that or he could have worn mister Huxley's pants and have them drape unto his ankles; might as well went bottomless if that were the case. He stared at himself into the mirror, searching for rashes around his body. The only scar was from the one yesterday. Making his way to the valet, he picked up his clothes. They were still damp, but dry enough to put on. He dressed himself and exited the room.

"Your eggs are ready." Missus Huxley sang as she placed a plate unto the empty seat on the table. "Are you clothes still wet? I'll place them over the fire for you. They should be dry when you finish breakfast."

"I'm fine," He answered as he made his way over to the table. Roger and his father seemed to be having a contest. Both of them crammed as much food in their mouth as if they inhaled the food in one breath. Albel looked at the plate: it was covered in a large omelette the size of Crossell. Ten years ago he could have been able to eat this as well as a full cow, but his stomach didn't growl, nor was their nausea.

"Can I have a container for this? I'm sorry but I need to find her." Albel asked, pointing to the omelette. "Please excuse me."

"Not at all." She replied, grabbing a container from the cupboard and handed it to him. "You are welcome come back anytime."

"Thank you for the hospitality."

Albel ran down the streets of Sufferio and left the village with great speed, while shoving half of the omelette in his mouth. The streets were a little wet from the showers, but dry enough for him to not trip. He put the other half of the omelette away and unsheathed his sword to prepare himself for future battles. The beasts that roamed around near the path had been exterminated, which made his journey easier. He came towards the large hill and saw an elderly man in the distance, a few kilometres from where he was. He increased his speed and sprinted along the path. His feet stormed down the hill, sounding like a herd of horses. Adrey turned around and saw Albel above him. He stopped and waited about fifteen minutes until Albel caught up to him. Albel leaned over with his hands on his knees, and took deep breaths.

"Did...you... find... any...clues?" He heaved, and lifted his head up.

"Nope," Adrey replied, while shaking his head. "Maybe Nel saw her."

A few hours later, they made it into the town of Peterny. The sun was shining half of the time, while the streets were flooded. Albel asked the towns people if they had seen her, but most of them responded with a no. Frustrated, they travelled to the Inn where Nel stood in the lobey, waiting for them.

"Did you see her," was the first thing that came out of Albel's mouth.

"No, but Fayt called again." She answered him with an eyebrow arched and her lips in a smirk. "He said that Isabelle need her medicine, but I told him not to worry because you were able to understand the medicine. The pills, once a day, and the liquid when she is in pain, right?"

"Ya, what else did he say?"

"Nothing, he is going to be here as quickly as he can." Nel spoke. "He said it will be in three weeks, but he's hoping for earlier. Maybe Isabelle's dying or something. He seemed to be agitated on the phone and demanding answers. He barely allowed me to talk."

"Didn't you ask him who she is?"

"Static wouldn't let me." Nel responded, shortly. "I'm going to have a nap. Might as well stay here until Clair comes back."

She walked out of the lobby and into the hallway where the rooms were in a feminine fashion. Albel and Adrey dumped themselves unto the chairs, releasing their anger, and sat on opposite ends of the table.

"Where the hell is that worm?" Albel growled, slamming a fist unto the table. "We've looked everywhere!"

"Not the Kirlsa Hills."

"I've looked there when I went to Arias. Knowing her she is in the middle of some place."

"No, maybe when we were at headquarters she was in the Inn in Arias."

Albel's expression changed to a neutral one, as he threw himself back with his hands folded behind his head, with his arms bend.

"She probably didn't want to bother Clair so she went to the Inn. That's something she would do." Albel nodded. "As soon as Clair comes back we'll go to Airyglyph. I'll send a letter to the king explaining the details."

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AN: I realised that Clair does not have an e at the end, which is the regular spelling but I guess tri-ace wanted to be different. Took me a while to find out that Mrs. is missus since it's proper to use full terms in literature. I thought of interesting couple names: Sophia + Fayt/Fate -Sophate; Clair + Albel -Clairabel (I think Clarabelle is a clown); If Sophia's name was Sophie -Alphie; (isn't that some child singer?) Maria + Fayt/Fate (ew) Mar n' ate. Then I thought of one with Celine from the second game and Dion. I don't have to change anything. Noel (second) + Nel-Noel- el . Ya, I was bored. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for the reviews Goddess Irui, Dragon Chyld and Xin-No-Hikaru! Thanks for reading and feel free to review!


	7. Dead Flowers

_ Albel barged into the room. If the door hadn't been electric he would have surely ripped it open. He marched his way across the room and went towards the refrigerator__. Leaning over, he pried the door open and stuck his head inside to look at the food. He pulled out a hunk of raw meat out and slammed the door behind. He looked around the room and saw that stupid girl sitting on the table with a box of Kleenex beside the book she was reading. _

_"What device do you cook this in?" Albel demanded in a forceful tone. _

_"Oh, I'll make it for you if you'd like." Sophia answered, revealed her face when she moved the book to her side. Her eyes were swollen and tears had formed, still located in her eyes._

_"What the hell are you reading?" He questioned, dropping the package of meat on the table and yanked the book out of her hand. "Je t'Adore Mais Tu Adores Un Autre?" He read the title, while skimming though the page she had read. "Reading porn? Here we thought you were some innocent virgin."_

_"Give it back!" Sophia blurted out, as she stretched her arms out, but he placed the book above his head and kept reading. "It's not porn."_

_"Then why are they having sex?" Albel asked, with a smirk on his face. _

_"They love each other." She replied as she jumped up to grab the book but Albel's height was superior. She gave up. Crossing her arms across her chest, she flashed a frown with her eyebrows crossed, which make her cheeks a little chubby. "You're mean," she pouted._

_"You're mean." Albel mimicked, in a high voice, as he smiled. He read some of the words to the book and laughed, "Wow, you really think this is how it is?"_

_"Give it back!" She complained, as she leaped into the air, and grabbed the book, stole it from him, and snatched it out with great force. He let go, and still held onto that smile on his face. "Thanks," she spoke, shortly, "Fayt gave this to me because my birthday is tomorrow."_

_"How old will you be, three?" _

_"Hey, stop that! I'm going to be eighteen." She responded, smacking the book on him, gently. "I'm going to be an adult!"_

_"That's hard to believe." Albel added, while he made his way to the leg of lamb and started to open the wrapping. "So what device do I cook this with?"_

_"I'm not telling." Sophia answered, as she turned her back to him and walked with perfect posture towards the opposite end of the table. _

_"Fine, I'll ask your boyfriend, Fayt." He teased, tearing the paper away from the meat._

_"He's not my boyfriend!" Sophia shouted, defensively, a millisecond after he said Fayt. "We're just friends."_

_"Then why are you blushin-"_

_"I am not!" She shouted as her face became pinker.  
_

_"Sure," He pointed out. He stepped towards the cupboards and stared at them. There were so many of them, covering contents behind them. Airyglyph kitchens were easy: nothing was hidden. They had shelves for the plates and racks where you put cooking utensils, such as pots and pans. Cutlery was stored in a wooden box on the counter and everything was cooked over a fire._

_"Fine, I'll help you cook." She gave in, slamming the book down beside the box of Kleenex._

_"What, the book was boring and unrealistic?"_

_"No, I just wanted to help." She answered, as she tied her hair up in a bun with pieces coming out of it. "That story is really sweet."_

_"Don't make me laugh," he chucked as he turned to her to give her a glare. "I don't need your help, little Sophia, I can cook by myself. Besides, that sex scene was anything but true. Sex is just sex, which is different from love. It's nothing sacred, just there for pleasure."_

_"No it isn't!" She protested. "You are thinking of lust, which is different from love. Sex is the ultimate expression of two peoples love for each other."_

_He laughed like a hyena, and almost dropped unto the floor. He leaned over and tried to stable himself from falling. A moment later he calmed himself, to say, "Sorry, but that was a classic. You really think two people were distant to be together, don't you? You're as pathetic as those Aquarians. You shouldn't describe something you've never experienced. I've given up on love and yet I have sex. Go hump Fayt, if he gave you a porno book then he wants it. You do love him don't you? He can't stop talking about how much he's in love with you."_

_A hand slapped across his cheek, leaving a red imprint on his face. Sophia's eyes glared at him, not with eyes of hate, but eyes of sorrow and sympathy. Tiny tears were inside those eyes, ready to cry for him. He looked at her with contrary eyes that resembled icy daggers. _

_"How dare you say that!" She yelled at him, but out of a concern. "If you'd like to know I'm saving myself for marriage. Fayt and I are just friends, but if you and he happened to be the only men in the universe I'd go after him! Besides, this book isn't about animals that do it in every chapter. Maybe you should read it for yourself and learn from it!"_

_"Don't look at me with those eyes!" He snared, out of fear, while he threw himself away. "I don't need your empathy!"_

_"Sorry I hit you." _

_"Why do you care? He asked, as his voice quivered. "No one cares about me. My own mother wishes I were dead!" He stomped towards her and clawed one hand into her shoulder and one on her chin. "Look at me!" He commanded, as he moved her chin to look at him. "Aren't you afraid of me? I kill innocent people and animals because I enjoy it. The first time I killed someone I wanted to kill again! How can you sympathise with someone who takes the lives of others so merciless? THIS IS THE FACE OF A MANSLAYER!"_

_Her eyes watered as the tears flooded down her face. She glazed into his burgundy eyes, with a faint smile through her lips, saying, "I'm not afraid of you, nor do I hate you."_

_"I told you not to look at me with those eyes!" He threatened, as he moved his claw towards her throat. "Why?"_

_"I don't think you're a bad pers-"_

_"LIES!"_

_Silence erupted through the room; a piece of fine cloth could have been heard. His chest pounded as he tried his best to hold back the sadness he felted deep into his soul. Sophia's eyes stopped weeping, as she opened her mouth to speak. He immediately let go of her, which caused her to drop unto the floor and stormed out of the room, fearing what she would have said._

_"You and Fayt make a perfect couple: you both are pathetic!" _

"That lamb looks delicious." A voice snapped him back into reality. He blinked for a second, and looked down at his plate. The herbs flowed into his nostrils with a garlicky fragrance as the steam escaped.

"Well, for seven hundred fol that better taste good." Adray added, as he tore into his steak. Albel poked the mutton with a fork and cut a tiny piece of it, then picked at it like a bird.

"Why did you order it if you weren't going to eat it?" Nel asked, twirling her fork with the pasta noodles. "Hurry up and eat. Clair should be here soon."

Albel moved the small morceau of meat from his decorative plate and into his mouth. It tasted rich as the flavours mixed together on his taste buds. Flinging the fork and knife at five o'clock was tempting, but the sorrow of his people from five years ago made him eat every crumb on his plate. He dabbed the serviette onto his face as the waitress took off with the empty plates.

"Uncle Nox!" A young voice beckoned. Albel sighed, and then turned around in the location of the voice. He narrowed his eyes, as his face was expressionless: his signature glare, and stared at this brat. He had wished that they hadn't eaten at the open restaurant in the centre of Peterny. People turned around and watched as the young girl race towards him, and gossiped about him to their neighbour. Clair and Mayu stood metres away, casually walking behind her. Isabelle held in her hand, opposite to hand she would hold her bear in, an emerald umbrella with frogeyes poking out of the top. Her dress matched with forest green ribbons along the bottom of the skirt and sleeves. Her hair was down in thin curls with a ribbon the colour of lemons tied in a bow off to the side. Looking at this flamboyant ensemble made him shiver. When she was beside him she stretched her arms up, bounced, and said, "Up-ies, Up-ies!"

"No," Albel answered, but Isabelle didn't take no for an answer.

"Up-ies! Up-ies!" She kept saying, even more cheerful with a large smile on her face. "Uncle Nox, Up-ies!

Nel stood up and stepped over towards the child. She bent her knees and made her the same level as the girl, telling, "He's not going to let you up."

Isabelle turned herself around and leaped into Nel's arms, invited herself to an 'up-ies.' Nel caught her and stood herself up; Isabelle sat comfortable in her arms, and when she turned around, she almost whacked Nel with the umbrella.

"She may be innocent but she sure is demanding." Nel commented, as she held unto the umbrella for her. Adray waltzed over towards the girl with a large smile on his face. "Grandpa Adray is going to get you!" He spoke, in baby talk as he placed his fingers out to wiggle them. Isabelle laughed, and squirmed around, as her face was full of joy.

"She's so adorable, Albel." Clair added. She was about to say something but Albel cut her off. "Don't get any idea's!" Clair gave a pout as she dragged him off to a secluded area to the street.

"Look," she whispered to him, "Your mother was preparing for your wedding to Count Neppon's daughter. We made an agreement, Albel."

"Mother says a lot of things." He answered, as he rolled his eyes. "Do you really think I'd marry someone ten years younger than I am? Especially to a snobby bitch like her."

"Good," Claire spoke, in calm tone, "you promised you'd marry me! If you don't I don't know what to do." She said, in a nervous tone as her eyes started to water.

"I'm marrying you, Clair." Albel assured as he placed his hands on her shoulder. "Did you tell that to mother?"

Clair nodded, as a smile slowly formed on her face. She wiped the tears trying to pop out of her eyes and said, "She said I was a tramp and unworthy to marry a Nox, but I demanded her to agree."

"What did you say?" Albel asked, curiously, with a smirk on his face. "I've never met anyone who was able to tame mother."

"I threatened to run away with you." She explained. "If you aren't there then her nobility status would go away. She would have to fend for herself."

"That's genuis!" He spoke, astonished. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Thanks."

The entire party strolled along the streets of Peterny. The sun appeared and gleamed in the drab sky, adding colour to it. It would hide behind the clouds, but shine brightly through them.

Nel placed Isabelle down as her yellow boots planted themselves unto the stone. Nel handed the umbrella to Mayu to free her hands and unzipped the purse. Rummaging through it, she pulled out the photo from the wallet and showed it to her. Isabelle's eyes lit up as she jumped up and down, saying something in her mother tongue.

"What did she say?" Clair asked, as Albel's eyes widened, and couldn't blink.

"She said 'daddy.' Guess she's Fayt and Sophia's child." Nel replied, putting the photo back into the purse. Albel marched towards her and snatched it from her and retrieved that card with Sophia's picture on it.

"We don't know that!" Albel barked as he threw the purse back to Nel. Marching towards the nearest stranger he showed the card to her and demanded if she had known Sophia's whereabouts. The middle-aged girl's eyes started to water as she stared at the photo. She placed a hand over her mouth, covering how her lips curved upwards.

"Where is she?" Albel asked, in a harsh tone, as he snatched the card from her eyes. "I don't do crying women!"

"Oh, I don't know." The woman responded. "Her sister used to live beside me, but four and a half years ago she died."

"Bah," Albel snorted as he shoved the card into his pocket. "This is no use."

"Are you hungry?" She asked the party, in a cheerful tone. "You're that woman who paid for Ameena's bills. Thank you so much for paying them. I'm glad to have met with people who knew her family."

"Oh ya, I remember you." Nel answered as she took a step forward. "It's someone else and not her sister."

"Would you all like a cup of tea?"

"No-" Albel wanted to say, but the rest followed the woman down the street, cutting him off. He gave a growl as he stomped behind them in protest. The woman looked down and saw Isabelle holding hands with Clair and Mayu; her bear tucked under her collar. Occasionally, they would lift her and swaying her forward, which caused her to giggle. They also skipped with Isabelle down the street as well as sang childhood songs. Even Adray joined their happy songs as he lifted the girl up and spun her around like a helicoper. Albel was tempted to unshealthe his katana and slash these people into pieces. Instead, he announced: "I'm going to the Inn!"

"What's wrong?" Clair asked, with a smile.

"You know what's wrong! You guys are singing lame songs and skipping down the street like a bunch of hippies on drugs! It's annoying!"

"She_ is_ a child." Nel spoke, as if he were from another planet, while rolling her eyes.

"Calm down, Albel." Adray adviced, as he placed Isabelle on his shoulders. "I used to hate children but when my little Clair was born, things were different."

"Fine, I'll _calm down_." he barginned as he crossed his arms around his chest. "After this we are leaving for Arias!"

"It'll be sundown in a few hours."

"We'll just camp!" Albel hissed, parading his way ahead of the crowd. The rest followed him in silence. Isabelle wrapped an arm around Adray's face as the opposite arm that had the bear dangled while she relaxed and fell asleep. Albel's lips curled in a faint smile as he was pleased that she wouldn't be speaking. He was about to turn his head forward but he glanced at her a while longer.

"Do you want to hold her?" Adray offered, but he quickly swung his head to face the direction he was going.

"No," he replied, "She just reminded me of Sophia."

A few minutes later they arrived at the house. Nel, went straight for the garden and bend down to feel the soft texture. The woman told them they could drink tea there, so the party sat down on the wodden stools. The clouds started to disappear as the sun lit the entire sky. Albel crossed his arms in disguest as he glared at the girl. Nel kept eyeing the roses, and stroked them.

"Would you like me to cut you some?" The woman asked, as she placed the tea unto the table.

"Oh, thank you so much." Nel gleamed. "Since we were traveling to Arias I'd thought I'd take these flowers for my husband's grave."

"I'll go with you to the Inn, Albel." Clair suggested. "You look bored."

"You poor dear, a widow at so young. I hope you don't mind me asking, but how did he die?"

Albel got off his seat, as Clair did the same. She strolled over towards the woman and opened her mouth to speak.

"Some bastard killed him and I will not rest unless I find that person and avenge his death!" Nel cut her off. Her expression on her face changed as her eyebrows crossed, and twitch out of anger.

"I'm sure you'll find him or her." The woman conforted, as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry," Clair interupted in a poliet tone in her voice. "Albel and I need to leave. We thank you for being hospitable, and could you please excuse us?"

"Oh, leaving so soon. Well it was nice to meet both of you." The woman spoke, kindly.

Clair gave a slight bow as they made their way out of the garden. They reached the edge, but Nel added, "You better take Isabelle with you. She seems tired and there is no way she is well enough to leave if she stays here."

"Fine!" Albel agreed. Clair trotted over towards the girl and picked her up. Isabelle moved around, and made herself comfortable, still asleep. Clair held her stomach against her chest as Isabelle's hands dangled over her shoulders, almost dropping the bear behind Clair. Albel yanked it from her hand to prevent it from falling unto the streets.

"I can't believe this is Fayt and Sophia's kid." Clair said, as they exited the garden. "It was cute when they were holding hands that one time when they thought no one was around."

"Humph, I though it wasn't necessary." Albel mumbled, in an angry tone. "We don't have proof that she is their child."

"You promised to marry me, Albel!" Clair spoke, forcefully. "Besides, she loves Fayt. Get over her!"

"You're right," Albel sighed, "she has Fayt. She always had him. Always loved him." 

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Disclaimer: If Je t'Adore Mais Tu Adores Un Autre happends to be a book, I do not own it, nor do I own Star Ocean.

AN: (evil snicker) keep reading or re-read! Dragon Chyld, you are right, it is spelled Adray. Spelling is something I am terrible with. Also, I use British spelling which some people aren't familar with but I guess that isn't relivent. This site is my friend: dictionary dot cambridge dot org. I do apologise for all of the errors in the previous chapter. I forgot to proofread that one as well as the others. Thank you Dragon Chyld, Goddess Irui, and Xin-No-Hikaru for the reviews! Feel free to add more and Thanks for those who read this story! Tell a friend. I like attention.


	8. The Maiden and The Knight

Albel waddled down the stairs, practically tripping them over, resembling some sort of zombie who just came back from the dead. He yawned and stretched his arm out as he shuffled his feet towards the kitchen.

"Uncle Nox!" a high pitch squeal beckoned, preventing him from leaving the stairs. It made his eyes widen as it woke him up, almost as if he splashed cold water on his face. He looked down. There stood Isabelle jumping and down, and waved a piece of paper in her hand. Albel cast a glare at her but she ignored it by wearing a smile that filled her face, and offered him the paper. Snatching it out of her tiny hand, he brought it close to his eyes. A scribble of a circle with black zigzag lines, that were vertical, were on the paper with dots inside.

"You," she giggled, as she clapped her hands together, while holding the bear under her arm. He started to see himself in the image. The black lines must have been his hair, as it was on both sides and the top of the circle; the dots inside were his eyes. Instead of a curved line for the smile, she drew a horizontal one, which mimicked his emotionless face. His lips slightly turned upwards on the sides; he was pleased. She was the first to draw his portrait without pressure.

A thin line of blood dripped from her finger caught Albel's attention. His eyebrows crossed out of confusion. He didn't know much about children, but he knew they cried over a tiny paper cut. He bent his knees down and sat on the step in front of her. Digging into his pocket, he pulled out a small bandage and dangled it at her eye level. She starred at the bandage, oblivious to what he was doing. He rolled his eyes and grabbed her index finger, mumbling, "You have a cut, stupid worm!"

"An owie?" Isabelle asked, as she looked at the blood. She muttered some words in her language, mixing them with the Elicoor one. "Oh, blood. Fix it, please." Were the two sentences he presumed she said.

"So, you're catching on to this language quickly." Albel commented, but in an unenthused tone. He then tossed her hand aside, growling, "You can cure yourself!"

He placed the cloth in her hand, as she held unto it for a moment. She dabbed it on to absorb the liquid, but she still bleed. Sanguine leaked out from her skin, quicker as time went on.

"You're supposed to wrap it." He sighed, yanking the bandage from her hand in a firm manner, but not harmful. He shuffled over and rested the paper down beside him, which blocked the step. Taking her finger, with the same force as the gauze, he wrapped the cloth around her finger. It was a little too big for her small proportions, so he ripped the excess gauze with his teeth.

"There," he nodded as he tied the ends together. "Next time you're hurt, do it yourself! Learn to become independent!"

"She's only three," a stern voice spoke behind him, one second after him. Nel glided down the stairs, scooping up the piece of paper on the way down. She went to examine the picture but Isabelle darted her wounded finger in the air, and pointing at Nel with it. Isabelle's smile faded into a frown as she bounced, trying to get Nel's attention.

"What now do you want?" Albel whined, as he dropped his arms to the step, and raised himself up.

"Kiss it better." Isabelle pouted to Nel. She knew well enough not to ask him to do a comforting task. Nel might have been cold on the outside, but she had a kind heart that cared for anyone. Nel bent over and held unto her fingers and gave a light peck on the bandage. Isabelle clapped her fingers as her cheeks were covered with a large smile. Nel placed a hand on Isabelle's head and messed her hair up while she took a look at the picture.

"Ew, you actually did that?" He asked, snatching the picture from her hands, almost ripping it apart. "You might get her disease. Besides, it's good for a child not to baby them."

"Come on, Albel." Nel sighed, throwing her hands on her hips. "She's just a child and children need affection. She has a cloth covering her cut so I think it's fine."

"Clair and I are having two boys and they aren't getting any affection. Especially, when they are infants!" Albel spoke, firmly. His comment made Nel roll her eyes in disgust.

Isabelle grabbed unto his claw, and pulled it. She may have been three, but her strength was that of a grown man. If he didn't attach the claw properly it would have popped off. She started to walk towards the parlour, but he remained steadfast. She jerked his arm, almost as if it were tug of war, but from anothers view it looked like she was gentle. His arm felt stretched out as he struggled to pull the other direction. If he were her age, he would have let go and laugh when she fell, but he wasn't a boy anymore.

"What do you want?" He yelled.

She dropped the arm, as wrinkles appeared on her forehead, scrunched up. Water droplets started to form into her cocoa eyes, as she let out a whale. It was a soft cry, but he could her throat whimper.

"Look what you did!" Nel hissed, casting him her most deadly glare. She leaned over and placed a hand on Isabelle's shoulder. Reaching into her pocket, she used the other hand to take out her handkerchief and dabbed the tears from Isabelle's eyes. Her whimpers stopped, her mouth shut in silence as she took a last sniff.

"What did you do Albel?" Adray growled, as he marched down the stairs. His eyes narrowed at him for a moment before he joined Nel in trying to comfort her. "I think you owe her an apology."

"Sorry." He sighed, as he brought his hands across his chest to cross them. He knew he should have given in, but his egoistic persona made him stubborn. It has been many years since he was a child so its mind was completely foreign to him.

Isabelle held unto Adray's hand, and moved a step backwards, but he let go, informing, "I think Albel should go with you since he made you cry."

He caved in this time, and followed her towards the parlour. Crayons and papers were scattered on the table as books spilled unto the ground from the couch. They were only in Arias for a night, but the room looked no one had cleaned it in a month.

"So this is why it took Clair so long to come to Peterny." He thought to himself.

Isabelle raced towards the pile of books and dug her way through them. She tossed the discarded ones behind her as she dragged the picture books from underneath the pile. Books flung across the room, almost whacking him in the process. Her organisation skills were the same as Sophia's: make the mess now, clean the mess later. She threw clothes all over the place and had dishes scattered all over the campsite when he fought with her and Fayt. She enjoyed cleaning and making sure things were tidy, but there needed to be something to clean. When she did clean the place, it seemed like the mess she made disappeared and never happened. He and Fayt had a different system: if one didn't make a mess, one didn't need a broom.

"The Maiden and The Knight?" He read the title to himself. "Getting ready for that festival, I see."

_"Wow, they really decorated this town beautifully!" Sophia commented as she entered the streets of Kirlsa. Colourful banners hung in the air on strings connecting businesses; street lamps had ribbons wrapped around them. The streets were crowed, as people were crammed and packed tightly in shops, buying fabric for their costumes._

_"This seems strange." Fayt pondered as he saw people wondering the streets with masks in their hands. "I thought Airyglyph was a military country that didn't believe in fairy tales, and they have a festival called 'The Maiden and Knight'? This is Kirsla, right?"_

_"Bah," Albel growled. "It's a stupid festival they put on that way the nobility would spend the night out with their mistresses without being seen. The king comes every year with Elena. Children liked the story and wanted to dress up so they made the day for children and the night for adults who are in some sort of forbidden love. It generates a lot of money into the Kirlsa economy so it isn't a complete waste of time." _

_"Let's all dress up tomorrow night!" Sophia suggested, sweetly. "All three of us can hang out as friends. It's going to be a lot of fun!"_

_"It's a festival for lovers." Albel pointed out, rudely. "Three people will be awkward."_

_"We can hang out in Woltar's mansion." Fayt offered. "He said he was having a party."_

_"You two go and have fun." Albel recommended, as he sped up towards the front of them, not showing his face. "I don't like lame festivals." He lied, as he increased his speed with each step._

_"What's wro-" Sophia called out_

_"Have fun!" Albel spat, interrupting her, but didn't turn around to face her. _

_"He doesn't want to participate in this festival, so why don't we um... go out for supper. Just the two of us if you'd like that I mean." Were words he spoke from far away, but Albel could hear him perfectly, especially the way he said them._

"You want me to read this?" He asked, as he narrowed his eyes at her. He loathed this story ever since his nanny read it to him when he was a child. He remembered he grabbed the book from her hands and tore the pages up into tiny pieces. She never read him another book.

"Yes, pees!" Isabelle answered him, as she dropped her body on the floor and sat cross-legged in full attention. "Thank you, Uncle Nox." They were in her language, but he knew the basics.

"Humph."

He pulled out the chair from the table and brought it in front of her. Seating himself to the chair, he opened the book to the first page. He showed her the first picture, darted it back towards him and began to read:

"A long time ago, there was a young maiden from another land. She escaped her war-torn country by sailing the sea in a broken boat, eventually having to swim part of the way. She landed in the Granah Hills and dragged her body out of the shore where she started a fire and fell asleep. Soldiers found her resting with ash on her face and her clothes burnt, and then arrested her. She told them she wasn't a spy, but they threw her into the Kirlsa Training Facility and demanded answers. Her life was nearing the end from the torture until a knight rescued her. He took her to his home in Kirlsa and made her his maid. Soon after, they ended up falling in love with each other. The knight wanted to marry the maiden, but his parents disproved and betroved him to another woman. This made the couple very sad as they couldn't love each other, but that didn't stop them. At night, they would wonder the streets while wearing costumes and masks to conceal their identity. It was the only time they could be together. Months later, the maiden found out she was having the Knight's child, which started their troubles. The knight's family decided that her life was causing problems for the knight so they decided to get rid of her. She ran deep into the mountains where she tried to hide but they found her. Swords charged at her but they didn't touch her; the knight had his life sacrificed so that she may live. She managed to flee to a small village north of Kirlsa where she lived well into her old age. On her last days she travelled towards his place of rest and joined him."

He showed her the last picture in the book and slammed it shut. The room was silent as Isabelle's expression was neutral. Did she understand the story he read to her? He stood himself up, and tucked the seat to the chair underneath the table. Collecting some of the papers with Isabelle, he straightened them up and placed them neatly on two piles on top of the table. The pictures she drew were similar to the one she drew of him in his hand: a mis-shaped circle with scribbled lines as hair, black dots as eyes, and curved lines as smiles.

"Would you like a quick breakfast before we leave?" Clair asked, peered into the room, as she stepped out of the doorway. "She can stay here with Mayu until we find Sophia."

"Good, she'll be only holding us back." He hissed, making his way towards the door. "Thanks to her we lost a day."

Isabelle bounced towards the pile of papers, jumped up, and picked one of the pictures from the drawn pile. The rest flew from the table, causing Albel to growl and throw his arms in the air. She raced towards Clair and handed her the paper, squealing, "You!" She breathed out loud, panting, and dropped her body unto the ground in a sitting position. Clair took the paper, picked her from the ground, and held her off to the side. Isabelle rested her head on Clair's shoulder, as her breathing started to calm.

"What the hell is wrong with this girl? She bruises easily, she bleeds easily; that isn't normal!"

"The doctor says the disease is in her blood." Clair replied. Her words made Albel run out of the door, hastily.

"Why didn't you tell me that before I bandaged her paper cut!"

Clair followed him out of the parlour, and into the vacant hallway. "Did you clean it carefully?" She asked, her voice was loud, trying to compete with his boots clicking on the wooden panels. "She gets infections easily."

"Have Mayu clean it. I don't want you to get her plague."

0000000

The Aire and Kirlsa hills weren't as secluded as they normally were. Many people travelled up these hills for The Maiden and Knight Festival in Kirlsa. Clair and Nel insisted on aiding these people travel safely by defeating some of the monsters and thieves for them. Albel opposed, had a hissy fit, and decided to travel alone. The rest let him do as he pleased for he would cool down by the time he entered Kirlsa and then meet up with them at the Inn.

He sprinted most of the way, walked to regain his energy, and then repeat the cycle. He held his sword in his right hand, batting it whenever wolves would attack him. They dropped like files with one swing. He didn't have to move his position; he just hit them an arms length when they charged. Avoiding an easy battle was something he would have preferred but the monsters insisted their deaths. He laughed, remembering they were once a challenge to him. Now that he defeated Luther and had the Crimson Scourge, nothing could kill him. Many men desired this power, but frankly, he didn't know what to do with it. He was the strongest, and nothing was a challenge. The thrill of defeating a monster that almost caused death was rewarding. The adrenaline rush that gave him speed and unstoppable power was what he thirsted for. It was a high he once lived for, but like all drugs, they had their consequences.

A young couple a little younger than Sophia's age were walking a hundred metres in front of him. Their steps were slower than a turtle. Staring into each other's eyes while holding their hands were more important than looking in the direction they were going. He wanted to turn his head away and scrunch his hand into a fist out of anger, but he recognised the couple; they were from Arias.

Dashing towards them he hollered, "HAVE YOU SEEN A GIRL SLIGHTLY OLDER THAN YOU WITH BROWN HAIR?"

The couple turned around, and quickly released their hands from each other, acting as if nothing happened. The guy took a step off the side, leaving space in between. Albel took deep breaths to conserve his energy and stopped in front of the couple.

"Did you see a girl around this tall with brown hair, turquoise eyes, and strange clothes?" He asked, in a pant.

"Oh ya, we saw her in Arias almost week ago." The girl replied, but the guys face was still baffled. "She said she was looking for some-"

"Did she say who?" Albel interrupted, as his words were agitated.

"No, she asked us if we saw a three year old girl that looked exactly like her."

"Oh ya, that woman." The guy finally clued in. "It was around midnight. She arrived in Arias, but left the town a second later."

"She didn't stay in the Inn?" Albel questioned. "Midnight, weren't you supposed to be in bed, children?"

"It was only the middle of the night." The girl spoke, as if Albel was from a different planet. "No, she left through the west gate after she asked us. We, and Lady Clair's headquarters were the only signs of life at that time."

He remembered his teen years. Mornings were something he missed because he was in bed; the afternoons were for waking up; and nights he and the other soldiers would go to taverns and start walking to the Inn at sunrise. It was the same now; only his friends have grown up.

"Oh, ya, I remember some guy yelling through the window saying he wanted to have sex on the roof." The guy recalled in a chuckle. "He was so smashed!"

Albel was about the growl through his teeth, but instead decided to leave the couple. He almost wished he and Clair did decide to go outside, even if it were Arias he would have finally found Sophia. His mission would have been complete, and that stupid girl would finally be out of his way. He could move unto other work like training new soldiers. But most importantly, answers would have been solved on that night. 

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AN: Sorry, I've been busy trying to create a club on deviantart for star ocean fanfics. If you'd like to join the link is: starocean-fanfics dot deviantart dot com slash. I thought the game was 774 SD when they started but I was wrong (shows you how long I've played So3) so in chapter four Isabelle was born in 774 not 776. Thank you Dragon Chyld and Goddess Irui for the reviews. (the no-named review is Goddess Irui) Thank you all who added this short as a favourite and alert. I forgot to thank them earlier so I'll thank them now: Ilko Skevuld, catesy, Xin-No-Hikaru, Fear My Evil,Amildor, Dragon Chyld and Goddess Irui. THANK YOU SO MUCH:):):) Now read their stories! Happy Mother's day!


	9. Cinderella

He bolted into Kilrsa as if he had been running a race and the gate was its finish line. The sky was turning many shades of colours, as if Apris had paintbrush and coloured the sky. He decreased his speed into a walk and made his way into the city. People flooded the streets, which made Albel dart his way around the people, as if he was in an obstacle course. Workers were hanging up contraptions, clogging up the streets, making the travel longer than anticipated. When he arrived at the intersection closest to the Inn, he dropped his weight into a sigh. The line up was passed door. Crowds of people filled that street, making him wonder if the entire population of Elicoor came into town. He shoved his way around in a hostile manner, eventually making it towards the gates of Woltar's mansion. Two guards dressed head to two in armour stood at the gates with spears in their hands, and swords on their belts.

"Sir Nox, what brings you here?" One of the guards asked, kindly. "Woltar should be back from Airyglyph any moment."

"There isn't fucking room in the Inn and I was wondering if he found that retarded girl I've been assigned to look for." Albel snapped. The stress loaded on him, weighing down his shoulders, when he made his way thought the crowd.

"You may enter," the other guard confirmed, with his eyebrows crossed in confusion. The other opened the gate for him. "His butler will escort you to a waiting room."

As soon as Albel sat down to a chair in the study, he heard in the hallway the front door opening. Footprints stomped, as Woltar and the butler's voices were heard.

"Oh, hello Albel." Woltar greeted as he entered the study. "So glad you came. We need to find that girl soon."

"Obviously," Albel muttered. "Have you heard of someone seeing her?"

"No, but there is something we need her to do." Woltar informed. He went towards the bookcase and dug his way through the books, and carefully placed the discarded ones on the desk. "I know there are laws in her homeland saying she shouldn't interfere with our world, but we need her to do something. She has a device that translates various languages, even ancient ones, right?"

"Right."

"Perfect!"

Woltar pulled out the last book that made a large hole in the bookcase a few books wide. He stuck his arm inside the bookcase and reached around, eventually retrieving a box. A thick layer of dust created a blanket on the top of it. The box was the size of a dictionary with a square handle at the top and a lock preventing one from opening it. It was made out of metal, but rust had corroded it, making Albel wonder if Woltar would be able to open this thing. Handing it to Albel to hold on to it for the time being, he placed to books back into their proper place.

"What's inside the box?" Albel questioned, as he held the box up and examined ever angle of it. "Your first false teeth?"

"I'm not that old." Woltar chucked, as he made his way over towards a painting above the desk. "It's something I want Sophia to translate."

Woltar swung the painting open, revealing a key dangling on a nail behind it. He picked it up and began to fiddle it into the boxes keyhole. It lifted open a tad after a few tries, creating a click noise. Woltar opened the box; the old smell quickly filled the room, causing Albel to gag. A book was inside the box with the cover torn, accompanied by a letter.

"This journal has been passed down from generations. It's so old scholars can't even translate it. The letter, however, is written in this language from around two hundred and fifty years ago."

Woltar went back towards the desk, placing the key on top. Opening one of the drawers, he took special gloves from inside and dressed his hands in them.

"Why would the journal be in a different language?" Albel asked, out of confusion. "I thought Aquaria and Airglyph always had the same language."

"You know the maiden and the knight story?" Woltar pointed out, as he took the journal out of the box. "She was from another country. Glyphian scholars aren't familiar with the ancient languages outside of Gaitt."

"That's just a legend!" Albel argued, as he flung the box unto the end table. "Nobles started that story because they needed an excuse to screw some other chicks besides their wives. It's such a stupid festival that promotes unfaithfulness!"

"It's true, read the letter." Woltar picked the letter from the box with his freehand, cautiously from the box. "Not all nobles have mistresses. Your father and I never had one."

Albel didn't respond to the remark. Instead, he narrowed his eyes at Woltar and leaned forward to plant his eyes in front of the letter.

"Dear, Count Algernon Woltar." The first line read. The words were smudged as the edges have been stained, causing Albel to move closer to the letter. "I am afraid to tell you this but we can never love. You are a knight and I'm just a maiden from another land. I'm leaving you that way you may marry that woman your parents betroved you to. Forget about me. Forget about our love. I can't thank you enough for saving me, but I must go. Don't search for me it will only cause problems. I'm leaving you my journal because it's the only possession I own. You may not understand my mother tongue but I want you to have it."

Albel jerked his face away from the crumbled letter, crossing his arms in disgust. Woltar put the letter back wearing a smirk on his face, and said, "Scholars say she wrote this letter before she hide in the mountains when she was with child. The story is true."

"Anyone could have written that letter and claimed it was the truth." Albel hissed, and marched his way out towards the doorway. "I'm going to the Traum Mountains!"

"It's almost dark. You may stay here for the night." Woltar offered, as he opened the journal up, and flipped though the fragile pages. "When Sophia translates this journal you will see it is the truth."

"I highly doubt it."

Woltar's eyes shot all of the way open; the eyelids were nowhere to be seen on his wrinkled face. He slammed the book and dashed towards the bookcase, throwing the books unto the floor. His hands quivered, and his body was agitated.

"Crap," he blurted, "I need to do a report for the king by tomorrow and I haven't even started it."

"You're too senile." Albel sighed, as he shook his head. "See you around!"

Albel turned his body outside the room, but Woltar interrupted, "Stay here, it's too late. Besides, what about you're party? They should be here soon if you came here a second ago."

"They took too long so I ran most of the way here from Arias after breakfast."

"You left here after breakfast?" Woltar sounded astonished. For a regular traveller it took three to four days to get from Arias to Kirlsa, which took a mercenary half the time. His party had already wasted enough time dillydallying in Peterny that speed was essential. "Your body needs rest, so you should stay here for the night."

"Fine," Albel growled as he stomped his way out of the room. He didn't want to admit it, but the old bat was right: bodies need rest when they work too hard. He rushed up the stairway and barged into his bedroom. It was stuffy inside the room, which caused him to push open the window. Silhouettes of mountains stood in the distance in the many hues of indigo that blended themselves in with a midnight blue. He turned himself around, while his eyes fixed themselves on the door.

_Albel laid on his bed blanketed in darkness; the moon and the stars were the only light he allowed. The duvet was sandwiched between the bed and his body. He starred at the ceiling, in a spaced out manner, as his eyes blinked several times, eventually closing them._

_"Fayt," a high-pitched giggle was heard through the door. "I don't want to wake Albel."_

_He jumped out of the bed and slithered towards the doorway, like a tiger readying itself to strike its pray. Leaning his back against the door, he closed his eyes to heighten his hearing._

_"We won't wake him up." Fayt whispered. "It's been dark for hours. Even the festival shut itself down for the night."_

_Silence filled behind the door for a moment later. Albel moved his body to the side of the door, slowly, and pressed an ear to it with a hand cupped around the ear. A moment later he could hear a moan accompanied by a quiet giggle. His right side of his face was squashed into the door. He could hear their lips dancing together._

_"Fayt," Sophia breathed out. "I'm nervous. I know you've done this before, but I haven't."_

_"I'll be gentle." Fayt spoke, in a calm tone. Even though Albel's face was scrunched from pressing against the wood, he crinkled his face, and let out a silent growl. His chest felt as if iron pressed against it, while his body stiffened. He wanted to slash the door away and squeeze his hands around that boys neck._

_"Are you sure you want to do this?" Fayt asked, in a comforting tone, but felt as if he stabbed a dagger into Albel's heart. _

_"Yes, I trust you." were words that rang inside Albel's head, repeating itself. His body loosened up; his narrow eyes widened and his arms dropped away from the door. He stood there for a moment, detached from reality, and shuffled his feet back towards his bed._

00000000

"Morning." Woltar announced, as Albel didn't respond to the question. He dragged himself to wonder the room and seated himself to one of the chairs at the table. Woltar sat at the head, sipping some coffee with one hand, while he reading the paper with the other. A plate half-full of fruit laid beside the saucer for his coffee cup.

"This is interesting," Woltar commented, while taking a final gulp to finish his drink. "A doctor from Peterny found a way to transfer blood from one person to another."

"Blood transfusion?" Albel blurted out in a dazed.

_Albel strolled along the Diplo's hallway with his shoulders swaying each step he took. He saw the young girl who gave him soup stretched her arm out, writing on the paper that was taped unto the door. The door swung open as she was writing, which caused her to create a scribble instead of a word. A doctor came out from the door, staring at the clipboard in her hand, too busy to pay attention. She nearly bumped into Sophia, but Sophia apologised to her in a poliet manner before she could.  
_

_"Oh, signing up to donate blood." The doctor pointed out when she saw the pen in her hand. "How much do you weight? A small girl like you might faint."_

_"Donate blood?" Albel asked, rudly, as he came towards the two. "Are they for vampires or something?"_

_The two chuckled at his comment, with large smiles on their faces. "No," Sophia replied. "When people are bleeding to death they give them blood. People donate their blood that way others may live."_

_"Sounds stupid." Albel answered, harshly. "I don't want someone elses blood flowing through my veins. If I'm going to die, I'm going to die."_

_"I guess from an underdeveloped planet it sounds strange to do this, but it saves lives." The doctor pointed out, then turned her attention to Sophia. "How much do you weight?"_

_"Fourty-nine kilograms," Sophia responded, "but when the Vandeeni's captured me they gave me hardly anything to eat. You better weight me because I might have lost some weight." _

_"If you lost more than three kilograms then it's safer if you didn't donate." The doctor informed, then turned to Albel. "Would you be interested in donating, we could use type O blood. Even though it's the most popular blood type hardly anyone on this ship has type O. What type of blood do you have?"_

_"Type O blood?" Albel asked. "Blood can have types? What? I don't want my blood in someother person!"_

_"I'm type O postitive!" Sophia, spoke cheerfully. "Albel, everyone has one of the four blood types: A, B, AB and O. A's can only donate to A's and AB's, B's can only donate to B's and AB's, while O's can donate to everyone, but can only receive from O's. Positive blood types can only donate to positives while negatives can donate to both."_

_"Sucks to be an O." Albel added, in an unenthused expression. "Why do people have different types?"_

_"There are two different antigens in the body and some people only have one type, (A) some people have the other type, (B) while some have both, (AB) and some have none (O)." The doctor explained to him, but Albel's face was disinterested. She glanced down on her clipboard, and flipped through some of the pages. When she looked up, she said, "You're blood type is O negative."_

_"Doesn't matter because I don't want to be apart of this." He hissed, as he marched in the opposite direction he came from. After a few steps he paused for a moment, turned around and stomped his feet back. "I'll donate blood, but only if I'm going to receive my own blood!"_

_"Well, you're the only one on this ship who can receive your blood since all the other O's are positive."_

_"Excellent."_

"Hello?" Woltar sang, as his hand dangled in front of Albel's and waved it. "It's morning."

"Oh," Albel snapped back into reality, and shook his head. "I'm not hungry. I have to go to the Traum Mountains!"

"Shouldn't you wait for your friends?"

"I can look for her myself!" He argued, as he paraded his way towards the hallway.

_"Albel." Sophia spoke, sweetly, with a here eyes glowing into a smile._

He gave a growl and stormed down the hallway in a quicker speed. It felt and heard like thunder crashed when his boots hit the tiles.

_Albel_

The image of her angelic face appeared again in his mind, beckoning his name. He lowered his head, digging his nails into his sculpt.

_Albel Albel Albel Albel_

Each word the image would multiply, and flash through his head like a strobe light. The words reminded him of a gong, crushing his mind with each 'Albel.'

"Are you alright?" A familiar voice spoke. He lifted his head up to see the rest of his party racing to him from the doorway. Clair was the closest, standing a metre away, with a concerned look on her face.

"I'm fine!" Albel lied, as he continued towards the doorway, brushing her to the side. "I'm searching for Sophia in the Traum Montains."

"Can you _wait_ for us?" Nel asked, in a rude manner, shaking her head. "We didn't even sleep last night because someone had to be a Prima Donna and leave before us. Besides, I need to ask Woltar if he knew anyone who killed my husband."

"You should have run like I did. You would have been well-rested by now." Albel pouted. He took a step away but Nel grabbed unto his shirt and threw him against the wall with great force. Her eyes narrowed at him, and stared deep into his.

"You know who killed him, didn't you?" Nel demanded, as she yelled the last two words.

"I know nothing." Albel replied, but it caused Nel to tighten her grip on his shirt.

"I think you do!" Nel presumed. She loosened her grip, causing him to drop a bit, but she slammed him against the wall again, viscously. The bricks on the wall started to dig their way into his skin. "You've been acting strange lately."

"That's because I'm pregnant!" Clair shouted out. Before Nel could turn around she gave Albel a quick wink. "I told him that not too long ago and he hasn't been the same."

"WHAT," Adray screamed at the top of his lungs. Nel let go of Albel, and flipped herself around to face Clair. He quickly sneaked away, but Adray caught him before he could escape.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?" Adray hissed with the most poisonous venom. He stood in front of the doorway with his arms stretched out, blocking the exit.

"I'll be back before you guys wake up." Albel informed. "We've lost too much time."

"Albel, if you tell who did it I'll tell you who the girl's parents are." Nel spoke out. "Fayt told me when I came back from Aquios."

"You said static cut them off."

"I lied," Nel added with a smirk on her face. "Who did it?"

"How should I know?"

"We should get some rest, Nel." Clair suggested, as she ran up the staircase. "I'm really tired and I can tell you are too."

"Fine," Nel agreed, as she faced the staircase. "She has family that lives not too far from here. Don't believe me then ask Sophia for yourself."

"Whatever." Albel rolled his eyes. Adray took a step away from the door, but glared at him when walked towards the stairs.

Albel left Kirlsa in a sigh of relief. If it wasn't for Clair telling that lie he might have ended up spilling the beans, but he was angered that she couldn't come up with a better one. Also, surprised the two would be so gullible to believe it. Then again, a woman saying she's pregnant is a lie many would believe. He shook his head thinking he now had to impregnate her.

_"She has family that lives not too far from here. Don't believe me then ask Sophia for yourself."_

"Lies," he thought to himself. "She's just saying that to get me to confess. She can use all the excuses she likes but I made a promise." He paused for a moment as his eyes lit up, "She did adopt that family, but why at such a young age." He continued down the path, brushing the comment aside, saying, "It's one of Nel's lies."

The clouds in the sky looked more like cotton fluffs, spreading their short selves throughout the sky, which made one see through them. He glanced upwards to the sky for a moment, but almost ended up tripping over an object that poked from the ground. Darting backwards, he picked up the object and glared at it. It was a shoe with seven centimetres of heal that had a strap buckled at the ankle. He traveled the direction the shoe was located in. The pathway wasn't as wide as the one to Airyglyph, and led all the way uphill. Albel huffed his way for hours, following the shoeprint that was beside a barefootprint.

A cumulonimbus cloud appeared at the top, creating darkness surrounding a small portion of the mountains. He unsheathed his sword, and prepared himself for battle. Large boulders fell from the sky, followed by a fiery tail, burning the top of the mountain. Dodging the meteors, he sprinting up the path, and weaved his way through the small fires. Soil mostly covered the Traum Montains but now there wasn't any vegetation left on this mountaintop. The ominous cloud faded into the sunny skies; he placed the katana back into its sheath.

He took a deep breath when he made it to the top, relaxing his body into a sitting position. He twisted his body to gather his water bottle, but his eyes shot open. A body laid sideway with the back facing him on the ground. It was covered in dirt with cuts that leaked out blood, mixing in the soil on the ground. The clothes have been tattered, as the ends frayed and the threads came apart. Albel crawled over towards the body and moved it on its back. 

"Sophia?!"

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AN: HE FINALLY FINDS HER! Thank you Dragon Chyld and Goddess Irui for continuing to review! When he does find answers I'll do a bonus part where Albel and Clair did find Sophia in Arias while they were drunk.:D I've donated blood before and the questions they ask are very amusing. Then again, I wouldn't want blood from someone who has done some of those things they ask. It doesn't hurt, but I almost fainted afterwards. In one PA some guy asks you your blood type and if you say O affection points for Sophia and Albel are raised. I'm guess that's their blood type. Oh, I have no clue how far places are so I don't know how long it would travel.


	10. Chapter 10

He reached into his pocket for a clean cloth and poured water unto it. Dabbing her exposed wounds, he washed the dirt from her cuts. Scrapes were mainly covering her body while the blood began to clot. Looking at her made him think if she had been run over by a wagon. _  
_

_Albel shuffled his body around, forcing it to move forward, but the many chains surrounding his body preventing him from moving a millimetre. His body in the shape of an X with his arms hanging diagonally beside his head and his legs spread away from each other. Sharp edges from the chains clawed into his skin, causing crimson liquid to spill and drip down his entire body. The pain gnawed all over his arms and leg; eventually he couldn't feel anything. _

_"Try to move all you'd like," the Inquisitor teased, as he tightened his grip around Sophia. "There is no way you can get yourself out." _

_A sparkle towards the right side of his eye flickered in the torches flames. He darted his head towards it and saw a dagger on the ledge of a wooden shelf. He opened his hand with his fingers sprawled apart. Pushing his weight on that side, he tried to grab it but went nowhere. His eyebrows crossed as he released a growl along with his frustration. The pit of his stomach was filled with adrenaline, causing a strong force to push his arm. The punisher let out a laugh when he saw Albel struggle. He let go of his grip around Sophia and leaned his weight forward, like a hyena. Glancing up at him, he began to burst out even more, almost unable to breath. His whip snapped across the floor beside him when he let go of all the amusement he had felt. The whip was like a shockwave, which caused the short sword to spring and hit the side of the ledge. Albel's heart beat faster as his squished face turned into a smile. Struggling his other arm and legs, he purposely made the madman mock him while slamming his whip in laughter. The dagger fell from the ledge, and landed into his hand. _

_The laughter stopped and silence filled the room. Albel let out a smirk, and added: "Looks like the tables have turned." Moving the blade with his fingers, he slipped it under the chains and tore the right side off. Pieces of his shirt dropped with the chains. The inquisitor threw his whipped behind his shoulders, and swung it, while growling like a wolf. Albel quickly slashed the surface of the chains around his opposite leg. Before cutting the chains off, the whip stung his hand, more painful than a stingray, which made him fumble with the dagger, making it fall. The anger at the pit of his stomach fumed his soul, filling his body with power. He pushed his entire body against the chains that held him. The broken chains on his left leg dug into his skin and ripped the fabric to his pants. Using all of his weight into a push, the leg was released. He panted and took a deep breath to regain his energy, but from the blood loss and the strenuous efforts his vision started to blur._

_The punisher fled to the corner of the room where all the weapons were stored, dragging Sophia with him. Albel quickly dropped his arm towards the ground, but five centimetres of emptiness filled the space between his fingers and the blade. He reached lower, not caring about the muscles tearing from the award position, but had four centimetres of space. He gave up and tried to kick the blade up, but ended up moving it further away. The man came back holding a club in one hand, Sophia in another. Albel began to pull the chains that trapped his left hand using his right one, but had no success. The inquisitor tossed her off to the side, as if she had been garbage and used both of his hands on the club. He swung it towards Albel, but he leaped towards the opposite side, dodging it. To his luck, the club broke off links to a chain, snapping it off. Using all of his strength into a push, his left hand was free._

_"Stop, Albel!" She screamed out, but no one paid attention to her.  
_

_Albel dove towards the ground, retrieving the dagger from off of the floor. The club was stuck into the wooden circle that held Albel in place. The punisher planted a leg unto it, and pushed it out, but it ended up swinging him backwards, and caused him to fall unto the ground. Albel freed his final leg from the chains and raced towards his opponent. The punisher was quick to react, by jumping himself up and blocking his attack with the club. Albel was pushed back, but still close to his enemy. He used all of his adrenaline into a forceful thrust, and slammed the blade into the punisher._

_His eyes widened as his face went pale, almost as if he had been a ghost. He didn't hit the punisher but rather Sophia. Her arms were spread out perpendicular to her torso, as if she was trying to say stop._

_"You will be executed surely if you kill him." Sophia spoke, as blood started to escape from her lips. "My efforts would be for nothing, Albel. I tried my hardest to free you by convincing the king. But...you tried to kill him. You must learn to control your temper. Please, stop killing, Albel." _

_Her body was lunged forward, and fell into his arms. The punisher stood as frozen as Albel, and dropped the club. Albel quivered, as he could feel blood ooze unto his hands. The only thing that poked out from the dagger was its handle; the rest was inside of her. _

_"But," was the only word that came from his mouth. It was shaking, much like his hands trying to pull the knife out. He could feel the warm liquid pour unto him, as it flowed down his body. The door flew open as he heard footsteps enter the room. His eyes were glued on Sophia and not the visitors._

_"I was...buying time until Woltar and Fayt...came." She replied, but her words were cut off from the blood gushing from her mouth. "I wouldn't let...a...man...I...didn't...love...touch...me. I...can take...care..of..myself. Please... stop. You…can't…die"_

_"The king wishes to see you, Albel." Woltar interupted.  
_

He closed his eyes and shook his head. The image of her bloody body was still vivid in his memory. Placing his ear towards her chest, he heard a heartbeat and her lungs taking in oxygen.

"Stupid girl," he thought to himself, but his words were out loud. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

She began to move her head, as she let out a soft moan, almost as if he had woke her up. Reaching into his pocket, he fished out a blueberry and dropped it into her mouth. The blueberry stayed on her tongue; she ended up spiting it out in a cough. He popped a few blueberries into his mouth and chewed them for her. Lifting her mouth open, he placed his mouth to hers and transferred the mashed blueberries using his tongue. She swallowed them, but remained asleep.

He put her shoe back on and picked up her body. A ring on her left hand caught his attention the most. The stone was in the shape of a small square, white in colour, and had a golden band. He let out a "bah", put her on his back, and carried her down the opposite side of the hill from where he entered. The sun moved towards the west, reminding everyone it was late afternoon. His stomach let out a roar, but he ignored it; Glyphians were used to hunger. Travelling to his estate would only take another two hours and stopping for a bite to eat wasn't mandatory in the state Sophia was in. He was true to his word, but promising Adray he would be back in Kirlsa before they will have woken up was something he couldn't do. It was too far and they would have already been awake when he found her.

By the time he made it to his house, his back started to ache. Carrying wounded men across the mountains was something he was used to as a knight, but it wasn't something he had done recently. Jogging to the front steps, his butler opened the front door for him.

"Do you wish for me to call a doctor, sir?" The butler asked, as he gasped at the sight of Sophia.

"Are any of the workers besides you here?" Albel asked before the butler moved. His nobility rank was one of the lowest, but he could afford people to care for the horses, the outside and the inside.

"I'm the only one here." The butler replied. "Lady Nox is going to Woltar's mansion tomorrow for the festival so she gave everyone a week off."

"While you're out, I want you to give a note to Count Woltar and the king. Tell them that I found Sophia Esteed and to bring that girl here."

"I'll fetch some paper-"

"No, summon the doctor first and come back to send the letters." He interrupted, as he barged himself into the house. The butler dashed out of the home, slamming the door behind him. When he reached the first step to the staircase, he heard a cold voice behind him.

"What is that _thing _on your back?" It asked. When he turned around to face the voice, it was his mother. "Don't put it in one of the guest rooms upstairs. It'll ruin my good linen!"

"_It _has been knighted as a lady by both the King of Airyglyph and the Queen of Aquaria." He spat out, while he disobeyed his mother by marching up the stairs. "I'll put _her_ in that room we haven't used in nineteen years, happy?"

"Yes," his mother agreed as he followed him up the stairs. He fiddled with the knob, trying to keep the balance between holding her and opening the door. When it turned, he used his hip to open the door completely. It may have been unused for nineteen years but it had been cleaned every month or so to avoid cobwebs and dust. He set her down on the small bed which fit her height exactly.

"Well, are you going to fetch me a pot of boiling water or clean her?" He demanded, sarcastically, when he twisted his body sideways to face his mother at the doorway. A question like that would make her leave.

"I don't know how to boil water." She replied, which was the answer he presumed she would say. Rolling up her sleeves, she entered the room and stood beside him. He jerked his body away and started to strip Sophia's shirt off, but a hand smacked his wrist and prevented him from touching her clothes.

"Didn't I teach you to become a gentleman?" His mother asked, coldly, while placing her hands on her hips.

"Fayt and I dressed her wounds before." Albel argued, but it didn't change the expression on his mother's face. "She was the only one of her gender in the party-"

"But there is someone here of her gender!" His mother silenced him. She grabbed a nearby chair and planted herself beside the bed. "Now, fetch me a pot of hot water."

"You do realise that the child had a disease in her blood." Albel added. "Sophia might have the same disease."

"I rather catch it than have you be plagued. You need to pass down the Nox title."

"Do you even know how to bandage cuts?"

"This is nothing compared the injuries your father had me fix." She responded, with her wrinkly eyes glaring at him. "Besides, you insisted as a child I, or "mommy", was the one who could bandage up your owies, no one else."

Albel immediately left the room and stomped his feet down the hallway. He didn't want to admit to the truth. When he was a child his nanny used to shower him with affection whenever he was hurt; his mother was the opposite. She had sympathy, but told him that in order to become a solider he had to be used to pain. His father was always caught up with his work that he was rarely home. He didn't know which was worse: being called a mamma's boy or being smothered with hugs and kisses. 

The butler barged into the front foyer the moment he placed his foot on the last step. A doctor followed, while holding a medicine bag. Albel gave directions to the doctor and ordered the butler to boil the water for him while he wrote the letters. After placing his seal on the letters, he went towards the kitchen to deliver them to the butler.

"It's getting dark soon, so give this one to the king, and have a messenger give the other one to Woltar." He informed, as he handed the envelopes. The butler nodded and left the house in a jog, leaving the water to Albel.

The flames surrounded the pot, almost consuming it when they reached the top of it. The water hissed inside the pot as steam filled the kitchen. He quickly nibbled on some bread before stabbing the wood with the fire poker. The flames died down, enabling him to lift the pot off the rack. He carried the pot with oven mitts in his hands, but the heat nearly burned his human hand, and melted his clawed hand. He ascended the stairs in a slow motion, watching his feet move each step. When he came to the bedroom, the door was close, which caused him to roll his eyes.

"Open the door!" He commanded, as the dropped the pot on the brick floor. Footsteps travelled on the opposite side, getting louder towards him. The door creaked open a smidge, only allowing a hand to escape. Sophia's filthy clothes were thrown at him.

"Wash them." His mother instructed, shortly. "Go into my closet and fetch me a nightdress. From the box, not hanging up. I don't want her wearing my good clothes."

The door slammed shut as Albel fumbled to catch the clothes. Her shirt was the shade of pastel pink with cord strings that criss-crossed and tied in the back -- another corset. Her mini skirt was made from a flowing material coloured in plum. Collecting them from off of the floor, he went down the hallway into his mother's room. He picked up the first nightgown he could find and walked back towards the room. The pot was gone, but the doctor leaving the room caught his attention the most.

"What's wrong with her?" Albel demanded, as he trotted over to him.

"Fatigue," the doctor replied. "She exhausted herself by not eating or sleeping for days. Make sure she gets plenty of rest and plenty of food."

Albel gave a nod, paid the doctor, and sprinted inside the room. His mother was dabbing Sophia's right arms with a cloth soaked in the water he boiled. The other arm was wrapped while a bed sheet covered the rest of her body. He tossed the nightgown on the bed. Before he could move his mother barked another order: "Make her a bowl of soup with lots of meat. Her arm's are too thin." He let out a growl and clonked his boots against the floor, purposely making a clamour. A vein started popping from his forehead, but his body moved back to the kitchen with her clothes in his hands. He was at least thankful his mother was doing something other than sitting while she sipped on tea.

000000

"I made her some soup, happy?" Albel hissed when he entered the bedroom. "Her clothes are drying on the line."

His mother jolted awake, opened her eyes and blinked at him. She glanced at her pocket watch with her eyes wide in shock. "You can feed her the soup when she wakes." His mother yawned, as she strolled towards the doorway.

"Did she tell you anything?" He asked. "Like who Isabelle is?"

"No, but it isn't hard to figure out."

Albel slammed the bowl on the night table beside the unlit candle, and followed her. "Who is she?" He demanded but his mother ignored the question. "Tell me who she is!"

"I don't know. I just have a presumption." His mother answered from down the hallway. She narrowed her eyes at him when she turned around to say, "I'm tired and I'm leaving early in the morning. Don't bother me with talk about that whore."

"She's not a whore!" Albel yelled out in defence, and instinct. "You don't even know her. That's what you call every female who isn't you! How dare you be so judgemental! You're nice to someone's face but as soon as they leave you have something bad to say. She's the sweetest, most innocent, girl I've ever known, _unlike someone_!"

"Oh, really?" His mother spoke while raising an eyebrow. "Never mind."

She slammed the door behind her in protest. Albel turned around and muttered a "two-faced bitch" under his breath.

Seating himself to a chair, he stared at Sophia with his arms and eyebrows crossed. The moonlight shined on head of the bed revealing her braided hair with ribbons tied on each end. A towel was placed on her pillow, which make Albel touch a lock dangling from her forehead. "Mother must have washed her hair." He thought to himself. Her ring was the only thing that sparkled in the moonlight

"Albel?" A quiet voice spoke out in the darkness. The voice caused him to sit up in full attention, and replied with a "humph."

"Where am I?" She asked, as he could vaguely see her body move into a sitting position. Her voice changed into shout when she said: "HAVE YOU SEEN A THREE YEAR OLD GIRL WITH BROWN HAIR-"

"Calm down," Albel raised his voice. "You mean Isabelle?"

"WHERE IS SHE?" Sophia demanded, as he could feel her claw his shirt. Her voice was raspy; he could hear he throat crack. "IS SHE HERE? IS SHE SAFE?"

"She's fine." Albel assured, holding unto her wrists, and took her hands off of him. "I found her."

"She's here?" Sophia asked, as she let go. He could hear the bed sheets rustle and fling off of the bed.

"She's not here." Albel answered, but the second he spoke she cried out, "WHERE IS SHE?" Her breath was short, as she started to hyperventilate.

"CALM DOWN!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, which caused her take deep breaths. He could hear her battling, and starting to breathe easier; eventually silence was the only sound in the room. He lit the candle to create light, then pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket. Unfolding the paper, he handed it to her; she looked confused but took it. Tears fell from her eyes when she saw the image, soaking the paper.

"She's in Arias." Albel informed. Her attention came to him when he spoke. "You know Mayu?" he asked, and she replied with a nod. "She's taking care of her, while we were trying to find you."

"On my pod it said she landed not far from here." Sophia spoke, but her words were short from the soreness in her throat. "I need to find her."

"No, you need to stay here and get some rest." Albel commanded as he placed another pillow behind hers, elevating her. "The soup probably needs to be warmed up."

Sophia opened her mouth to speak but no words came out of it. Only sight sounds came out, making him feel as if his throat was full of acid. He picked up the bowl and saw some steam swirl into the air. Placing it back on the night table, he handed her the spoon.

"Eat every drop in that bowl and rest some more." Albel ordered when he stood himself up and went towards the doorway. "Don't worry your fiancé is coming in a week or two. If you need anything my room is two rooms down from this side."

He immediately closed the door after he spoke the last word. His head had hung low, as he dragged his feet towards his bedroom. A frown curved from his usual emotionless face. He flopped himself on his bed an closed his eyes to sleep. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

AN: Thank you to my two continuous reviewers: Dragon Chyld and Goddess Irui. :) If I do a prequel I'll explain the beginning a little bit better, but you get the picture. It was a long weekend here in Canada, so I was able to finish this quicker. The next chapter might take longer because Anime North is this weekend :). I can't think of a title for this chapter, so it will be chapter 10.


	11. The Water Closet

Albel sat a wooden stool that was placed beside the bed. Rays of sunlight gleamed through the window as the sun was placed in the centre of the sky. Sophia had lain on the bed on her back with her body relaxed in a position where she didn't move. If it weren't for her chest that lifted up every so often to breathe he would have presumed she was died.Another bowl of soup rested on the night table also beside the bed. Steam evaporated from the liquid like flames dancing over wood. He made sure the soup had been boiling large bubbles before taking it to her room. Only God knew what time she will have woken up and cold soup isn't something to eat. Soup had been a staple food in Airyglyph for the past twenty years during their economic depression, especially fish soup. There weren't many fish in the ocean but one fish can feed a family in a soup.

"Isabelle," Sophia whispered. Her body rolled over towards him as she adjusted herself in the bed, making her comfortable. She wiggled her body in the covers until she let her body stay put.

"You're awake." He stated when he saw her pull the blankets up. Her eyes opened, and let her hand shield her face from the blinding sun. She raised her body up and swung her legs at the side of the bed to face him.

"Eat." He commanded as he picked up the bowl from the table and gave it to her. She held the bowl with two hands before grabbing the spoon with her left. Bare fingers caught his attention, which caused him to turn his head to the floor and dart his eyes around.

"What are you looking for?" She asked, as she put the bowl back on the table and looked on the ground with him. Her voice was raspy, but not nearly as hoarse as last night.

"You're ring."

"Oh," She answered, and crunched her hands into fists and placed them on her knees. "I _was_ engaged to Fayt, but…" He heard sniffles, as a drop of water fell down her cheek.

"What the hell did he do to you?" Albel demanded, while he jerked his head up and gazed deep into her mint eyes.

"Nothing, it's just," She explained as she wiped her eyes with the palm of her hand.

"Did he force himself on you?" Albel barked, interrupting her.

"No-"

"Did he give you bruises?"

"He would never do such a thing!"

"So, he was sleeping around! What a-"

"No, he didn't do anything!" Sophia shouted, as her voice became coarser. Her words silenced him while he placed his arms across his chest and glared at her. "We're just over!"

She chucked the blankets to the small bed over when she swung her arms and planted her feet firmly on the ground. "Where are my clothes?" She requested in a cold voice.

"They're hanging up downstairs." He responded, and lifted himself off of his seat. "What really happened?" She may have been stubborn by refusing to answer him, but he continued nagged her.

She paused for a moment, and wrapped her arms around his waist in a squeeze. Her head was buried in his chest as the tears seeped through his shirt when she cried. He placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to push her away but her grip was tight.

"Ever since I took that job we've been distance." His shirt muffled her words, but he could still hear her whimper. "We lived on Klaus IV for a while because we didn't have a place to go and Mirage needed a housekeeper for her father. I found a job as a dental hygienist recently in Expel, which is where our parents live, and he is still on Klaus. We don't spend as much time together and we've been losing communication."

"Oh, please!" Albel roared, as he rolled his eyes and peeled her off of him. "Just because he hasn't talked to you doesn't mean he doesn't love you! That man would do anything for you and he wouldn't think of harming you. I don't need to hear your drama!"

"You're right, but it's more than that." She answered, while batting her tears away. "It's almost as if the spark that brought us together is gone. And.."

"Whatever, this isn't something to cry over!" He argued and took a step away from her. "You're too emotional at times. If you have a problem than fix it!"

"You're right," she smiled while the tears stopped. "I should discuss this with Fayt rather than crying over it and get nothing accomplished. One shouldn't let something eat away at them."

He nodded and let his face relaxed. His crossed eyebrows and arms gently loosened when he stepped around the bed towards the doorway. A hand grabbed his, preventing him from moving, and pulled him towards the bed.

"Sophi-" He tried to speak but she silenced him with a kiss. His eyes shot open, all way way through the sockets when she swung her arms around his neck. His right hand moved on it's freewill towards the back of her waist, but he controlled himself by using that hand to push her away.

"What the fuck?" He blurted out, as he tossed her arms away from him.

"I don't love Fayt anymore." Sophia confessed, while the tears started to form again. "I love you."

"No you don't!" He complained and stood up in a firm manner, like the tone of his voice. "You need to talk to Fayt and sort things out. Don't make me your third wheel again."

"I told you, it's over!" She protested, while droplets fell down her cheeks. There was a pause of silence for a moment before she snatched the chain from his shackle and yanked body until his lips meet hers. Immediately, he planted his hands on her shoulder in attempt to pull her away, but she threw him into a laying position on the bed. Her body leapt unto his; he tried to dodge her but his body was frozen. His hands were pressed into the bed when she pushed her weight unto them, feeling as if a million tonnes fell on them. Her tears fell unto his face when she stood above him.

"Does Fayt know it's over?" He asked when he saw her lips darted towards his. His words stopped her, as her face went off to the side, not looking at him. "Look," he explained in a hostile manner. "You obviously want affection from _him_ and since he hasn't you're going after me. You need to talk to him and solve this issue. If we did something, how would he feel?"

"Sorry," she apologised. A hand was placed over her mouth when she slowly walked behind her. "I didn't mean to."

He was silent when he rose from the bed and paced his way towards the doorway. His eyes narrowed at her in anger, but in a frustrated anger, filled with many emotions he concealed. Ignoring her, he went towards the doorknob and touched it.

"Albel," she called out but he didn't listen. "Albel, there is something you need to know!"

When he twisted the knob, his entire weight went into the grip around it. His back still faced Sophia, as his lips were glued unto each other, not opening to speak. He flung the door with great speed and marched out. His body nearly bumped into someone when the person stood directly on the opposite side of the door.

"Sophia, you remember Clair?" He spoke, in attempt to change the subject. He turned his body around to face Sophia and grunted. "She's my fiancée."

"Oh, hello." Sophia said, slowly. Her cheeks turned a rosy pink, and shaded themselves red.

"I have you're purse." Clair added, while reaching her arm out to dangle the purse in front of Sophia. "Nel and Adray went to pick up Isabelle and will drop her off in Kirlsa."

Sophia took the purse from her, bowed as a thank you, and unzipped it. Shuffling the contents around, she dug her way around until she pulled out her mobile phone from inside. The flap flipped open, but she put it back in the purse.

"We took good care of your belongings, but I do apologise if anything is missing." Clair informed. "The medicine is with Mayu."

"It's alright, the battery is just dead. I'll just have to talk with Fayt when he comes." She added, and zipped the purse back up, holding it off to the side. "I'm surprised you found the medicine. In my world, people sell prescriptions on the streets and health cards so I keep them well hidden in my purse. Thanks you two for taking care of Isabelle. Thank you Albel for cleaning me up."

"Humph, it was my mother." He mumbled, as he started to make his way out of the doorway, but when Sophia said, "I thought you're mother hated people," prevented him from moving.

"She hates me more than everyone else." Albel explained, with his arms crossed. "I was the one who 'ruined her life' and 'if it wasn't for my father she would have stabbed her lower stomach when she found out she was pregnant with me'."

Sophia's eyes widen as water started to swell. Her lips curved downward when she said: "That's horrible." Pausing for a moment, her face tried to relax but her words were filled with sorrow. "I'm sure at first she was just scared but was relieved during the pregnancy. She probably didn't mean to say the truth."

"The truth that I was a mistake and she would commit suicide over me?" Albel growled, as his eyes glared at her with flames. He marched out of the room, and stomped his feet on the ground, releasing his anger in each step.

"Albel," Sophia called out, while standing in the hallway, located in front of the door. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure when she saw you for the first time she changed her mind. She was just full of emotions that every pregnant woman feels."

He marched his way down the stairs in protest, ignoring her words. When he was out of sight, he made his steps more graceful and headed towards the kitchen. His shoulders struggled, as he muttered, "Stupid emotional girl!" He couldn't understand her: she cried when she couldn't find that kid; she cried because Fayt didn't talk to her; and now she's crying because his mother didn't like him. His mother wasn't her business and it was something she could never understand. He wondered if she had eaten a pound of estrogene for breakfast before she came here.

He reached the kitchen door, and swung it open. Clothes were hanging from the ceiling while pots and pans were in their proper place. The butler was standing in front of the table rolling out dough while the fire flickered in the wooden oven.

"I thought you had the week off?" Albel asked, in his regular expressionless tone.

"Lady Nox insisted that I stayed her since you and that girl were here." He replied while placing more flour to the rolling pin. "We were out of bread so I thought you'd like some."

"I can take care of myself." He protested, while yanking the clothes from the line. "Besides, we're leaving for Kirlsa."

"Lady Nox already paid-"

"Go home!"

The Butler abandoned the dough he had been rolling and left the kitchen with great speed. Albel shook his head, tossed the clothing, and rolled the dough. The clothes were thrown on an empty chair, wrinkled off and hung from it, almost as the clothes were about to fall off. He crammed the dough into the pan and flung it into the oven. Noises in the front hall would occasionally clatter, but he ignored it: his butler must have gathered his suitcases. Instead, he starred at the screen to the oven and watched the bread just stand there. Slamming his hands to the table, he got up and left the kitchen with Sophia's clothes crunched up in one hand.

"Step-Mother?" He heard Clair's voice from the bedroom. His eyes shot open, while his posture straightened when he heard those words. He slithered up the staircase and tip-toped towards the bedroom, with his back towards the wall.

"We've been taking care of her since she was born." Sophia's voice spoke out, while the spoon clashed against the bowl. "Fayt's the father."

"So you're not the -" Clair spoke, but a clamour down the stairs prevented him from hearing what the rest of the sentence was. Dropping the clothes, he unsheathed his sword and glided towards the staircase. He darted around the foyer and ran down the stairs without making a sound. The front door was wide open, flapping in the gentle breeze. His butler was only a couple of metres from the door, which caused Albel to sigh, "You're just as senile as my mother!" He placed a hand to the back of the door and pushed it with great force. The door echoed in the dark building, almost as loud as when it shut.

He stomped his feet towards the kitchen and jerked the pot from one of the shelves. Marching his way outside, he pumped the faucet. It took a few pumps to get the water going, but once the water came it poured into the pot. It rushed like a mighty waterfall that still spilled into the pot when he stopped. It was so simple to gather water when he was in their world. They laughed at him in a friendly manner when he tried to figure out the appliances in the bathroom.

_"What is this... water... room?"_ He remembered he asked with his eyebrows crossed out of bafflement.

_"A **water closet**?" Fayt clarified. _

A hair dryer, which he thought was the same as a "phase gun" was something he avoided. He learned it wasn't deadly when Sophia aimed it at him in explanation. The toothbrush in which the bristles moved on their own and the strange paste that needed to go on it. At first he thought it was some sort of candy but when he ate half of the tube Fayt snatched it from his hand and told him it was dangerous to eat. Airyglyph had dental care but they used wooden scrapers for their teeth and only the nobility took care of their oral health. His least favourite part of the "water closet" was when he got into the shower with his clothes on and he curiously pulled the knob, soaking him wet.

After taking the bread out of the oven and boiling the pot of water, he stomped back up the staircase. The clothes were still in a ball on the floor and laid in a messy fashion.

"So, how are you and Fayt doing?" He heard Clair's voice again.

"Not really good, he's been rather distance but he is working on his masters." Sophia responded. Her voice was a lot more cheerful than when he spoke with her. She was never one to say her true emotions, but she was so transparent one could read her like a book.

"Ya, Albel has been distance too." Clair added, which almost caused him to drop the scorching water unto him. He leaned against the wall and straightened his posture in full attention. "What's with men?" Clair continued. "The closer the relationship the further away they want to be."

"I know!" Sophia spoke, slowly with a hint of anger. "I tell Fayt we should spend more time together but he's too busy 'studying.' He's just playing video games, which are more important than his own fiancée!"

"Albel's too caught up with his work. It's almost as if he doesn't want to marry me."

"I'm sure he does, I mean it's Albel: he never lets own knows how he feels. He does care but he isn't the type to express himself."

"I'm sure Fayt too cares about you. It's just men are too scared to say what's on their minds."

"I think I should give him another chance. I've gotten worked up over nothing and I've let the stress get to me. I should tell him the truth and sort things out."

"Same."

Fed up with the girl talk, he marched into the room announcing, "I have some hot water and your clothes!"

Both Sophia and Clair turned to him while Sophia nodded a thank you. Clair's eyes narrowed at him as she stood herself up and slowly paced herself towards Albel.

"Please excuse me Sophia but I need to talk to Albel."

"Okay, I'll take a nap." Sophia adjusted herself in her bed. "The soup was delicious, Albel."

Ignoring the comment, he placed the pot on the brick flooring and leaved the room in a stern manner. Clair reached for his wrist and dragged him into his bedroom with great speed. She was a gentle person, but her grip told a different story. He jerked his wrist away and growled, "What did I do?"

"What did _you_ do?" Clair repeated, while bringing her arms across her chest to cross them. "Admit it, you're still in love with her! We have to get married!"

"I was planning on going to Kirlsa later today that way I won't be around her." He explained, but it didn't change the expression on Clair's face.

"You agreed to marry me!" She cried, as tears started to form in her eyes. "If they find out this was a sham wedding I don't know what to do. Sure, we don't love each other but at least pretend to! We both have given up on the idea of love but doesn't mean we can't get married."

"Look, no one is going to find out." Albel assured while he rolled his eyes but she cut him off by saying: "I killed the one I loved!" Her words were shaky as the tears dripped from her eyes. "You know how that feels, only yours ended up living!"

She moved her hands towards her pocket and dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. He closed his eyes while his face started to scrunch up, but he resisted in showing emotions. The image was vivid in his memory of the blood pouring from Sophia's chest and unto him. He tried to save her from the punisher but had almost gotten rid of her life.

"You worry too much, you know that?" He spat out, strongly. "You let stupid things get to you!"

"Stupid things?" She yelled back, then paused. "I killed him! What am I supposed do?"

"You could tell the trut-"

"Tell the truth?" Clair laughed, in a sorrowful manner. "I can't tell the truth."

"Would you rather it eat you away? When was the last time you had a goods nights rest, or even ate?"

She was silent, and hung her head low. Silence broke but she broke it by exclaiming, "I can't tell Nel!"

"You can't tell me what?" A voice spoke from above them. Legs dangled from the ceiling, while a body eventually landed of the ground. Nel stood beside them with her hands on her hips, yelling, "That my best friend killed my husband?"

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AN: Sorry it took so long; I've been busy with family functions and nice weather. Thank you Xin-No-Hikaru, Dragon Chyld, and Goddess Irui for the reviews. :) I did paste one third of this on deviant art since it took a while, so check out the club every so often! I need to convince my friend Ice Seraphim to write a Star Ocean fic. (If you like Magna Carta then read her stuff!) This chapter is pretty melodramatic but I hope the bathroom section balenced it out. Thanks for reading and please give comments/suggestions, etc.!


	12. Manmade Blood

Clair's face went white as sweat dripped from her face. Her leg's trembled, and resembled jelly; she fell forward but balanced herself by placing a hand on the ground and lowered her face. Her mouth opened as she breathed heavily. Tears rolled down her face with great speed as if her eyes were the sacred orb. "I'm so... so..rry." She stuttered, while a pool of water started to form under her face.

"Why?" Nel hissed, furiously, but her words hinted she was crying on the inside. "I knew you liked him and I asked, 'is this okay with you' and you said yes. Why didn't you tell the truth?"

"You two were so happy together." Clair cried, as she tried to wipe her tears with the handkerchief but there were too many. "I didn't want to get in the way and hurt you by saying no."

"Well your logic was wrong! You ended up hurting yourself and us. I wanted an honest answer and you didn't give it to me!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt anyone."

Nel marched towards Clair with her feet banging across the brick flooring, creating a clamour. Her eyebrows twitched in anger and her face started to turn as red as her hair. Bending over, she brought her hand beside Clair's face and slapped her. "You killed my husband." She yelled at the top of her lungs. Her words and smacking Clair's face over again, rotating cheeks but using the same hand, released her frustration. Clair's screams reminded him of dying animals as each slap made her yelp. "How dare you, you were my best friend! You betrayed me! You think this is painful, well how do you think he felt when you killed him, or how I felt knowing he was murdered!"

"That's enough." Albel growled, finally stepping in. This was one of the reasons why he didn't deal with women: they were like felines and more vicious than men. He grabbed the arm Nel used and held it back. Dragging her away, she started to resist by jerking her body forward, which made him almost lose his grip. He wrapped his human hand around her waist to gain control and dug his clawed hand into her arm. Her body started to calm down after a while, but he struggled in keeping her. Using the adrenaline from the pit of his stomach, Nel still struggled but started to cave in.

"You don't know what it's like," Clair broke down, while placing a hand to her left cheek. Droplets of tears rushed around the contours of her fingers. "To see the man you love with someone else. Kissing your best friend, marring her, and laughing with her. Sharing moments of joy that you want with him with someone else. I couldn't even stand it! If he wasn't with me he couldn't be with anyone else! You don't know what it's like to kill someone you loved the most. To see his face so lifeless and the pain of knowing that you ended his life. These past six months have been the worst six months of my life!"

"I asked you many times, Clair!" Nel shouted, as she finally began to relax her body. "When we started dating I asked if it was okay-- you said yes. When we got engaged you kept telling me how you were 'over him.' I believed you, Clair! A friendship is more important than a man! You need to stop worrying all the time!"

"Sorry," Clair cried out, as her voice started to sound like Sophia's last night. "I'm so sorry Nel. You don't know how guilty I feel. Kill me now. Don't wait until my trail, I can't stand this, kill me now!"

"I can't," Nel answered her, causing Albel to let go of her. "I can't kill my best friend." She stepped outside of the room while Clair and Albel remained inside, motionless.

"Albel," Clair sniffed, while wiping the remaining tears from her drenched handkerchief. "Thank you so much. You may be egoistic, but in your own way you really helped me."

"So, what are you going to do?" he asked, reaching into his pocket, and pulled out another handkerchief for her.

"Thanks, I don't know," She replied, as she took the handkerchief. "In a way I feel liberated, but scarred that everyone will know what I did."

"I don't think Nel would publicly humiliate you." He spoke in his brute voice. It was his way of showing empathy.

"You're right, but I'm afraid I might lose her." She went on, her words sounded less shaky." She's my best friend and we've known each other since we were babies. She's like a sister to me who helped me through everything." Pausing for a moment, she looked up to him and said, "Could you leave me be for a moment."

He gave a nod and before leaving the room, he grabbed a one-litre bottle from under his night table. He reached his arm out to offer the alcohol to her but she shook her head. Shrugging his shoulders, he took a sip and told her, "I'm leaving for Kirlsa in five minutes." He strolled along the hallway occasionally taking a few sips. Peering over the ledge of the staircase, he saw the front door close, indicated Nel exiting.

"Albel," a soft voice spoke from the nearby room. He darted his head around and saw Sophia standing in front of the doorway holding her arms, almost as if she was shivering.

"What."

"Oh, I was wondering what went on. I couldn't sleep." She explained. He turned around, with one hand he picked up her clothes from the floor and barged into the room, while she followed him.

"You didn't miss much." He answered, heading towards the closet. "I'm leaving in five minutes!" Placing the bottle on the dressing table, he tossed her clothes at her to free his hands; he swung the closet doors open. His eyes widened as they glued themselves to the closet.

"Something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing." He replied; as he grabbed a blanket from the top shelve. His mother made sure closets were jam packed with unnecessary clothes, but today the closet was half-empty. "So this is why she was being so nice to Sophia." He whispered, but Sophia commented by saying, "Who was nice to me?"

He moved towards the side of the closet, showing her how it was half-full. "See," he added, "Mother bought fifty million outfits and half of them are missing."

"But she only gave me this nightie. Besides, there is no way I could fit into those dresses; they're too small."

"You can't but Isabelle can."

"Did someone steal them?"

"Hmph," Albel snorted, swinging his arm to close one door. "I had a sister, fool. She died when she was Isabelle's age."

"Sorry-"

"She died nineteen years ago not this second." He cut her off, slamming the other door before he handed her the blanket. She thanked him; wrapped it around her shoulders and cuddled with it. "She was your age," he went on, "and was called Sophie. There isn't an other reason why mother would look after someone."

"Maybe, she isn't as heartless as you say she is." She added but Albel glared at her and gave her the expression as if she was born yesterday. "I mean, you say she didn't want you but she did have another child and judging by that closet I'd say that she loved Sophie."

"Peh, you don't know the whole story so shut up." Albel explained, with his eyes still narrowed at her. "Of course she loved the child that didn't ruin her life. She was suppose to marry one of the princes but she had to 'settle for my father.'"

"Hum..." she pondered, while pointing a finger to her chin. Her engagement ring sparkled in the sunlight that gleamed from the window. "When were you born?"

"August, why?"

"When were your parents married?"

"I'm not sure, I think it was February. That's usually when mother yells at me saying how I 'killed the man she loved' and 'it was their anniversary.'"

She began to giggle a bit with her cheeks filled with a smile. Albel's glare began to narrow with eyes that were about to strike any moment. His fingers were reaching towards his katana and his clawed hand was inching its way towards her neck.

"What's so funny?" He growled with the most poisonous venom. "If you have something to say spit it out!"

"Look's like you were the reason why your parents married." She spoke, cheerfully. "And, she choose love over money."

"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!" He roared, with flames in his eyes. His body stiffened, as he released energy in each word he spoke. "YOU THINK WE LIVE IN A _NICE_ AND _HAPPY _WORLD," he continued to scream as he slithered closer to her. "WITH RAINBOWS AND BUTTERFLIES SMILING AT PEOPLE THROUGH THE HAPPY MEADOW!" He paused his words and body. Instantaneously, his clawed hand forced itself around her neck, and threw her on her back, causing her to fall on the bed. "LOOK AROUND YOU, FOOL. PEOPLE ARE DYING ON THE STREETS AND SOLD INTO PROSTITUTION SINCE THEIR FAMILIES CAN'T FIND EMPLOYMENT! PEOPLE ARE SLAUGHTERED EACH DAY AND STAVING TO DEATH! ONLY THE STRONG ONES SURVIVE! IS THIS A HAPPY WORLD? ANSWER ME!" He dug his hand into her neck; squeezing her although her neck wasn't his main focus --it was her eyes. They didn't show any anger or fear; they were crying in a different way. The tears she normally would cry when he would attack her--eyes of sympathy. She was different from other people: she didn't fear him.

"I TOLD YOU A HUNDRED TIMES DON'T LOOK AT ME WITH THOSE EYES!" He snapped, throwing his arm away from her neck "You worm, you've forgotten that my mother jeopardised her life that way I would be dead. Ever since my father died she made sure I lived to know that I killed him." His words were calmer but still venomous. He took the bottle from the dressing table, marched his way over towards the doorway, and spoke to her in a glare: "When you know the whole story then judge."

"Sorry, but you have to realise that people change!" She hissed, but out of concern and not argumentative. "If she hated you that much why did she raise you? She could gave abandoned you when you were born. There's an instantaneous love that mothers feel as soon as they feel the first kick, and then when they first see their child. She was just like every woman who finds out she was pregnant while being young, and in your world, unmarried--scared. How do you think unmarried, noble women in your country feel when they find out they are pregnant? I'm sure she didn't mean to say that you killed your father because she was upset that the man she loved died. There are always two sides to the story and things aren't always horrible."

"What a half-baked idea!" He huffed, stomping his feet out of the room.

"I'm going to Kirlsa with you!" She screamed from the room. "Izzy is still in Arias but Adray is on his way!"

"How the fuck did you know?" He spat, not turning around to face her. "Did you pull that out of your ass like the speech about pregnant women being 'scared'?"

"Are_ you_ a pregnant woman?" She asked, in a leading way; his mouth was shut. "I may not know your story, but you don't know how pregnant women feel so we're even!" He began to increase his speed into a trot. "As for how I knew where she was, I do have the connection gene. The pod told me the coordinates where she landed, but I felt where she was. If I ate properly I would have realised that she left but I knew she was here."

"Quit annoying me! Like I care about your man-made blood!" He snared, as he took a large gulp from the liquid in the bottle. "Stupid maggot why can't you die," were words he thought to himself, "Why can't I kill her! Those eyes. A naïve girl like her should die; if I don't nature will!" Were phrases he always thought to himself four and a half years ago, but when he stabbed her he couldn't stop thinking, "Why did I kill her?" These phrases from those years ago kept ringing in his head as if a gong went off.

Stepping towards the stairs, Clair stopped him by speaking to him in almost an emotionless tone: "Can you come in here for a second? I need to talk to you." Her eyes were still puffing from the tears.

"Sure, I haven't told you that Maria found her birth parents." Sophia answered her and strolled towards Clair. Sophia's mouth dropped when she got closer and asked, in a comforting tone: "What happened?"

"Nothing, and sorry I wanted to talk to Albel." She replied, with a fake smile on her cheeks. Sophia gave a nod and skipped back into her room, closing the door behind her. He twisted his body around and headed into his room, still with the bottle of liquour in his hand.

"Idiot," he grunted, "thinks the world revolves around her!"

"We were talking about her life earlier until you butted in." She mentioned, which silenced his comment. "Apparently, Fayt is learning to do what his father is doing."

_"What's 'genetic engineering'?" Albel asked, perplex fully. "I don't get that 'video message'."_

_"It's when people use DNA and make zygotes, or babies, and create their hair, eye colour, etc." Maria explained, with a slight anger in her tone of voice. "Instead of nature deciding their health, abilities, etc. men and women do."_

_"What the hell?" He questioned in both surprise and confusion. "That's impossible!"_

_"It isn't-" she tried to say but he cut her off._

_"The doctor showed me a lesson in reproduction, but... the hell?" _

_The room was silent, almost as if a pin could be heard. Sophia was the one to create noise by falling to the ground and crying, "I'm...**made**? My dad... **made** me?" Fayt and Peppita were the first to run towards her and comfort her, but she kept saying, "My mother lost her grandmother a year before I was born and I look identical to her, so maybe it wasn't a coincidence. But still...I'm artificially...**made**."_

_"You can make people look like people?" He continued to rant. "This is absurd!" _

"Albel," Clair called out, causing him to re-enter reality. Bringing his arms around his chest, he crossed them and eyed her in full attention. "I think we should call off the wedding." She looked down towards her feet, then back up with her lips somewhat curved in a smile. "I don't know what will happen to me, but I don't think we should marry."

"Fair enough."

"On one condition," She added, bringing her hand out between them. "We remain friends. I'm so sorry for forcing you to marry me and I can't thank you enough for what you did. Maybe in the future we will be something more but now I'd like us to be friends."

"Friends." He answered her with a nod. They shook hands as if it were an important accord. "By the way, you didn't force me and you know that."

"I know, but I felt bad." She spoke, in more cheerful voice but still glum. "I may have given up on love that day but I think I'll try it again." She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you."

"Humph."

Clair started to walk around him towards the door, but she paused and turned around to ask, "Where is the quickest route to Kirlsa. Mayu directed me the last time and I think Sophia wants to see her daughter right away."

"Simple, take the road east which crosses into a fork and go south. Then, you'd come across an intersection and turn right-"

"Why don't you come with us?" Clair suggested with a blank expression on her face. She was good with directions but mountains were a challenge to travel for Aquarians. He opened his mouth to speak, wanting to say no, but she cut him off by proposing: "You could always just drop us off and head back. Staying with us isn't always an option."

"Fine," he sighed, while his eyes the colour of blood rolled. "We're leaving first thing in the morning."

00000

They were planning on leaving precisely at dawn but Sophia, just like the type B person she was, took longer to get ready and wasn't fixed on the schedule; they left an hour later. She wore the same rose corset with the plum mini she had on when he found her; the only difference was they weren't tattered. Her body was free from bandages but scraps and bruises were occasionally scared on her skin. The braids were out of her hair leaving crimped clumps that reached half way between her chin and shoulders. Albel mumbled a, "took you long enough," before heading out to the mountains.

The journey was like a rollercoaster: up, down, and around. They travelled on two horses to made the trip safer for Sophia; she and Clair were on one while Albel was on the other. The sun wasn't hidden behind the blanket of clouds, while a breeze blew against the three. Sophia covered herself in layers of robes almost resembling some sort of ghost.

"Sorry about yesterday." She apologised when they took their first rest break. "I shouldn't have gone on like that. But you need to realise-" She cut herself off, and turning her head away from him, while fiddling with her hair. "Never mind I apologise. I was selfish and you were right: I didn't know the story and it's none of my business."

The rest of the trip he didn't speak to her; nor did he acknowledge her presence. He didn't want to admit that she was right. Woltar told him ten years ago that his mother was abandoned as a child and adopted by a duke. She would have married the king's second cousin but fell in love with his father. She desired wealth more than anything since she grew up with nothing. Running away when her adopted parents found out she was pregnant; Albel's father was the only one that wanted to marry her. If it wasn't for him his parents wouldn't have stayed together.

The journey took longer than expected; they didn't reach the gates until sundown, which normally took half the time. Sophia was still frail and sometimes reminded him of an undead zombie the way she hunched over on the horse, nearly falling off. It was luck that she didn't die on the mountain when he found her. Still, she brought this upon herself by pushing herself too far, which was just like her. Practically dying for the sake of finding someone she wasn't connected by blood was something he didn't understand.

"Mommy," A high-pitch squeal was heard a couple of metres away. The daylight started to fade into darkness, making it harder too see. A young pre-schooler raced through the crowed street, stopping in front of the horse Sophia came off of.

"Isabelle!" She screamed out in cry, as she immediately threw her arms around the girl. Her face was flooding with tears, while they remained clung together for a few moments. Adray and Mayu followed the girl and huffed their way towards the two. Their embrace was cut short when Sophia jerked her hand on top of Isabelle's forehead. She hid back the sorrow she felt, but Sophia was terrible at concealing her emotions.

"Are you okay?" Sophia asked, in a panic. The lack of sunlight gave a vague picture of the two, which made Albel step closer. He didn't see all of the expression in her face but her voice was shaking and full of grief.

"You're burning up." She spoke to her with a frown, while wiping the sweat off of her face. "She needs a doctor!" She shouted, and turned her body towards Albel. Picking the girl up, she carried her a few steps in a sprint.

"Sophia," Clair called out, ran, chased her but caught up with her a few seconds later. "Where are you going?"

"The inn," Sophia replied, while her breath was short. "Bring the doctor there!"

Albel strolled along and followed them, thinking, "stupid worm." His arms wrapped around his chest and crossed them, while his eyes glared at Sophia when he met up with the three.

"Are you that brainless?" He asked, coldly. "The inn is full, fool."

Sophia's eyes began to water even more as she stood there in a weep. Isabelle spoke to her so softly that Albel didn't hear her, but when Sophia said, "You're not going to heaven yet," his eyes shot open. Sophia's hand gently rubbed Isabelle's back while she whispered soothing words.

"Do you think Woltar would let us in?" Clair asked him.

"Figure that out for yourself." Albel replied, in a slightly calmer tone, as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll take her there. You're still sick." Clair offered, bringing her arms out in front of Sophia. She began to transfer Isabelle over but she was attached to her with a tight grip around her shoulders. Clair eventually peeled her off while Sophia comforted her by telling her she'll be at Woltar's. Mayu follow Clair through the dense crowd but Clair's speed made it harder for her. Adray went in the opposite direction where the doctor was located. His face was saggy while his legs dashed slower than usual.

"I'm sorry, Albel." She aplogised again, while she wiped the tears from her eyes. She had no success since they started to pour uncontrollably. "I shouldn't-" Her words were cut off by him marching towards the city gate.

"Look I said I was sorry."

"Can't you realise that I don't want to talk to you?" He snapped, and turned around to face her with his eyebrows crossed in anger.

"I'm sorry."

Even though he held grudges for years, he was over the conversation from yesterday. He rolled his eyes and gave a little growl at the sight of the gate closed and two guards standing in front.

"That girl is dying, isn't she?" He asked, turning around to face her.

"We don't know," she sobbed for a second. "The sooner we make it to the hospital the better chance she has at living. There isn't a cure for her disease but the treatment can help her. We have hope, but just in case we keep telling her she might go to heaven."

"Bah, children." He sighed, stomping his feet against the sand while directing her to Woltars. "Adults are too pathetic in protecting their minds that they lie to them by saying their loved ones are in some 'heaven', which doesn't exist."

"I don't know if I believe in heaven myself, but she's only three years old." Sophia answered, as she walked beside him. "It may be a façade, but it brings her happiness."

"That's why it's so pathetic." Albel explained. "Once one is dead his or her existence censes. The sooner children, even adults, realise it, the better. Religion beings a false hope."

"Have you been dead before?" She asked, philosophically. His mouth didn't open to speak. "Then how do you know if there isn't a heaven? The only way one can find out if their dead, but it's too late. No one can answer that question, so why not believe in it?"

"Because it doesn't exist!" Albel replied, in a hostile tone. "They should abolish that idea that way everyone is happy."

"How do you know?" Sophia cut him off with a question. "Instead of proving to people your way is the right way, why not accept people who for what they believe in? Sure, a society can force people to believe in something, but everyone is unique and has their own metaphysical ideas. What happened to the Apris followers in Airyglyph during the war?"

"We killed them. Their beliefs have no place in our land."

"But, weren't martyrs willing to die for what they believed in?"

"They insisted their own death. They could have changed their beliefs."

"But that religion was something they chose to believe in." She insisted. "Besides, only one side is happy when society abolishes the others, so why not make _all_ sides happy? People shouldn't die because of a difference in opinion because everyone is different. Like I said before, no one can prove what happens when one dies, so why not accept people for what they believe in? After all, it's _their_ life."

"That goes against human nature, are you that naïve?"

"So, stealing goes against human nature but there are laws on that. Same with fraud, and so on." Sophia continued. Each metre they walked the frown on her face rose. "I remember in history on Earth some countries abolished religion, but there were still people who believed in a divine power. If we all tolerated people no one would have to die and we would all live in peace. Compromise and acceptance is the only way people can find peace. After all, even if our existence ended when we died, what's wrong with believing in a façade? There isn't a reward or punishment for believing in such thing and it brings people happiness. Telling a three year old her existence is over once she dies will traumatise the poor thing. Even if it were true, once one is dead one wouldn't notice his or her existence is over."

"You're too naïve."

"Maybe I am, but if everyone was this naïve and respected differences in opinion the universe would be a better place." Sophia smiled, but Albel ignored her by looking ahead of him rather than beside. The crowd began to even out as the street lighters began to do their job. Normally, nighttime made everything except the tavern quiet, but couples promenaded the streets wearing various costumes.

When they reached the stairs towards the gates, she spoke out loud to start a new conversation. "What's new with you. I heard you and Clair are engaged. That's cute, where did you first meet?"

"None of your business. Besides, we aren't getting married anymore." He huffed, increasing his speed, but she followed him.

"Oh, I'm sorry I was just trying to make a conversation." She spoke, with her cheeks reddening with embarrassment. "Well, I live with Isabelle in a small town called Mars on the planet Expel."

"You don't live with Fayt?" He asked, recalling when she mentioned Fayt was on Klaus IV. "You live only with that girl? Shouldn't her father live with you too?"

"The universities in Expel aren't as advanced and don't offer the programme he's taking." She replied, as they reached the gates. The guards let them into the property, escorting them along the path. "Also," she went on, "I have a job and he's still in school so it was easier if I took care of her. Besides, our parents live in a city called Lacour, which is somewhat far but on the same planet."

"I find it strange how her father isn't around." He added, as they both entered the mansion.

"Excuse me," She spoke, with a hint of anger. "He pays his support and he when he's around he takes care of her. He isn't some deadbeat father who wants nothing to do with his daughter; he's the complete opposite. He's still in school and is heartbroken that he's away from her. I'm lucky that I have parents and Fayt to help me with Isabelle because there are some mothers who don't."

"Why would they take care of children by themselves?" He answered, while they both trotted up the stairs.

"Sometimes, the father isn't around." She spoke, in a cold tone. "There are also fathers who raise the children by themselves. Also, sometimes parents aren't together anymore; there are many different reasons. It may be beneficially to have a nuclear family, but that's not always the case. In your country single mothers are looked down upon, but when someone walks in their shoes they will realise that they are hardworking and deserve respect."

When they reached the top of the stairs she raced towards the direction the guard pointed to, but he stayed at the same speed. He couldn't understand how she, not the biological mother, raise Fayt's daughter. She was a kind and caring girl who made sure everyone was taken care of, but to raise a child that wasn't her own was incomprehensible. Almost as unfathomable how Fayt would have a daughter without Sophia. Isabelle was three which meant after they left she was conceived. "Unless,' he though, "she was an experiment created from genetic engineering." 

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AN: Oooh the controversy! I was going to add another controversay topic in this chapter but you're going to have to wait until the next. I don't intend on making his a debate, just my two cents on life. (I do live in the one of the most multicultural cities in the world) If it's too offensive tell me! I don't want to offend people so please tell me if what I said is offensive. Thanks to my reviewers for reviewing. (you know who you are, too lazy to check. It's my birthday come on!) Sorry for the late update but I was busy. I kinda did a lazy proofread with this so if there are huge errors tell me. Thanks for reading and please review.Oh, I've never been pregnant before (guess I'm a hypocrite) but my friend had a baby when she was 18 so I'm not completly ignorant.


	13. Sophia's Story

The sky was filled with many shades of orange and red colours. It was almost as if it were a palette on an artists tray. The rays started to illuminate the room, giving more light every minute. The birds began to sing a sweet melody, which caused Albel to lift his eyes open. He rolled his body towards his side and gazed at the brick wall for a moment. Yawning, he raised his body in a stretch, and sat upright. His foot stepped ahead; an incline of some sort blocked his feet and almost tripped him. Looking down, he remembered that there were so many guests that he had to share his room with Adray. He shivered at the thought, but it was that or sleeping in the same room as Woltar; also, he slept in his own bed. Woltar gave Mayu, Clair, Sophia and Isabelle his room since it had the largest floor space, while he offered to sleep in his office. Adray flopped over with his back facing Albel and snored like a baby. As soon as he made it to Arias, he ran back to Kirlsa without rest; he would be sleeping for hours.

He picked up some clothes from his dresser, draped them over the dressing screen, and dressed behind in privacy. After getting himself ready for the day, he went towards the doorway and turned the knob. He only opened the door a few centimetres when something caught his attention. Moving on an angle, he peeked through the crack and examined the situation: Woltar exited a bedroom that wasn't his. The smile on his face made Albel's nostrils flare with anger. He knew there was something going on between Woltar and his mother recently, but he didn't know they were this serious. The part that made him want to vomit the most was when they kissed goodbye. He thought of him as an uncle, and not a father, which was the relationship he wanted to keep. Both of them may have lost their spouses over ten years ago but he didn't expect they would start a relationship.

After Woltar escaped the floor, Albel opened the door a smidge and squeezed his way out the door. He leaned against the wall and tip toed towards the room beside his: Woltar's office. Turning the knob, he pushed the door a sliver and peaked through using one eye. A Japanese futon was on the floor in front of his desk with a womanly figure resting on top of it. Her scarlet hair was the only part of her body seen. He closed the door mutely, since Nel had ears of a bat, and crawled down the hallway. "She must have arrived late in the evening." He thought.

A creak, followed by a click caused his body to pirouette a one-eighty while stiffing defensively. Sophia threw her body on the ground, using all of her weight, and curved her hand under her nose. He turned around to ignore her but she called out his name.

"What do you want?" He asked, hostilely, with his back still towards her.

"I just need someone to talk to." She replied, while sniffing.

"Talk to Clair or Mayu." He suggested, taking a step forward. "Or even Nel; she's Woltar's office."

"I don't want to wake them."

"Fine," he spoke, shortly then sighed. He twisted his body, sluggishly to face her. His lips were scrunched while his eyes narrowed at her, barking, "What is it?!" Comforting crying women was something he always avoided but Sophia wasn't a talker and there wasn't any harm in a quick chat. "A quick chat" He rang those words in his head.

"It's just," she sobbed, "she's so ill and were stuck here there isn't anything I can do to help her." His face was as unenthused as when she first spoke, with his arms crossed. "You don't know how many sacrifices I made for her." Her words kept getting louder, while her face flooded with tears both out of sorrow and frustration. "I wouldn't change my life for a second. And, I don't care if the career I chose isn't my dream job because she comes first."

Her mouth stopped talking and started whimpering. Her eyes were starting to puff while her face was beat red. He shifted his body slightly, thinking, "good she stopped talking," but her words cut him off. "It seemed like yesterday I saw her in the delivery for the first time. I was so happy she was a girl- if she was a boy I would have been as excited- and when the doctor said 'it's a girl' I couldn't stop crying tears of joy." He was starting to tune out of the conversation but when he heard the word "delivery room" his ears started to perk up. "Or the time I felt her kick inside of me; and when I found out I was pregnant." His eyes immediately shot open while his posture straightened to give him her full attention. One side of his lips curled upward in a smirk, as he though, "Obviously that girl was her's and Fayt's. Sometimes things that are right in the face need no logical analysis."

"In the past on that day, I felt as if it was the worst day of my life." She continued to speak, but her words were less shaking indicating she was calming down. "But in the present, it was one of the most special days of my life. I was so scared and didn't know what to do. I had nothing to offer this baby; my dad and Fayt's mom weren't on Roak and were yet to be found. Quark was gone and so was the Diplo, which meant I was homeless and even if Quark was still running I couldn't have a baby on an anti-federation ship. Fayt and I had no money and I was yet to finish high school."

"What a maggot Fayt is!" He huffed, and changed his expression back into his usual discontent face he wore on when she started talking.

"No, I don't think I'd be able to take care of the baby without him." She defended, while lifting herself off of the floor. Her body was still leaning towards the wall for support but the tears trickled instead of rushing. "I can't thank him enough for his support. He was there for me since I found out I was pregnant. When the doctor on Roak told me I was pregnant I was in denial for a week. I didn't have the nerve to tell anyone, especially Fayt. I locked the door to my room and secluded myself for a week I was so scared."

"Bah, running away from problems only makes matters worse. Only cowards can't face their problems."

"I know," She replied, as she held her hands in front of her and gave a faint smile. "Your mother wasn't upset that you ruined your life; she was upset that she couldn't control hers. There are some things in life that people can't control as much as they'd like to. I know in my world we have science that is trying to make humans control their life but we have to face reality and realise that life cannot be controlled by a button."

"What fools," He spat, as he leaned against one of the rails and loosened his body. He actually agreed with her on a situation. "If life throws something in your face you have to make the best out of the situation and control what you can! The sooner people become realistic the less people would stop crying over spilt milk. Or blaming things when some things can't be blamed like luck."

"Exactly, if people could control their life it would be boring and we wouldn't have been taught valuable lessons. Shit happens," She spoke, somewhat-loudly, but quiet enough not to wake people. "and," she almost whispers while sighing, "methods fail." After that phrase she began to speak in a normal tone. "Things happen for a reason: to learn from our experiences. Fayt told me that when he found out I was pregnant. He was so worried about me when I sheltered myself that it made me cry even more. He sat down with me and didn't leave his spot until I came up with a plan with my life. At first, I didn't want to say anything but after the conversation I felt relieved, but still scared."

"See, if you went ahead and got that conversation over with you wouldn't have wasted a week of your life!"

"I know, and I learned my lesson." She answered. Her body moved towards him, in a frail way. She stood across from him with her arms behind, looped around the banister. "I was still full of emotions for what I was going to do. I don't know how many hugs he kept giving me, but they couldn't cheer me up. He even slept in the same room as me, which made me sleep easier. That bear you gave me, I couldn't stop starring at it. I knew it would make the baby happy, but I wasn't going to keep it."

"That's a rude gesture to do to a gift." He pouted with a, "humph." His eyes started to glare at her, almost as if there were flames burning inside.

"No, I was going to keep the bear but not the baby." She pointed out, which eased his expression, but at the same time made him almost jolt in shock. "Well, babies are gifts from heaven but I guess the bear is what you are referring to." He nodded, which made her continue. "There wasn't a way I could raise it. I wanted to keep it so badly even though I was still scared. We didn't have a home, a job, an income--anything. I was finally happy that I was having a baby, but I couldn't have it."

She may have started to calm herself down but all of a sudden she began to weep. "Oh dear," he thought, "not again."

_"Fayt, I don't want to do this." She spoke. Her body shook as much as the words while her hands and arms quivered on their own accord. Her legs stiffened, unable to move, as she just stood, immobile. The door was positioned a metre from her while she and Fayt were in the centre of a hallway to a medical office facility. _

_"I'm here with you." He comforted as he stepped in front of her. Facing her, he reached for her wobbly hand and brought it in between them at shoulder level. Sweat poured from it, feeling as clammy as death; his hand felt cool against hers. He linked his fingers in between hers and held unto her hand to guide her. Smiling, he took a step forward but she remained steadfast. _

_"I can't do this, Fayt." Her words were soft, but full of sorrow, as she expressed her feelings with her tone of voice. "What happens if I get pelvic inflammatory disease and not be able to have another child? Or get infected and die? I might get depress-" _

_"You won't die, have PID, and become infertile." He assured. His other hand rested on her cheek as a finger collected the tears from her eye. "It's a safe medical procedure that may cause PID. You can't have a child now so you're doing the right thing." _

_"But, I want to keep it." She released all of her emotions at once; her face resembled a river. He immediately wrapped both of his arms around her shoulders in an embrace and pulled her close to him. _

_"You can't, Sophia." He whispered in her ear, with a slight tone of sadness. "Didn't you want to become an obstetrician or own your own restaurant? You need to finish school first then have children." _

_"I want to become a homemaker." She replied, as her head buried in his chest. "I can cook meals, clean dishes, and raise children all in the same occupation." _

_"Sophia, if you give birth now there isn't enough money for you to become a homemaker. I know this is hard on you but it's better to get it over with now than becoming attached to it." _

_"I already have, Fayt." She cried out, as she raised her voice. "I've read too many obstetric books in the past and I'm finally starting to feel joy in this baby. At the last doctors appointment I heard its heart beat and I was so happy." _

_"Sophia, I told you not to do that. It's going to make this experience harder on you." He sighed. His hands rested on her shoulders as he pushed away, and gazed into her eyes with compassion in his. "Look, we'll go in and reschedule the appointment, alright?" _

_She gave a slight nod, and placed her hands under her eyes and whipped her tears on both sides at once. He reached for her hand again and took another step; she also froze like the last time. _

_"I'm sorry." _

_"Don't be. I'll go in for you and reschedule for next week, okay?" _

_"Okay," she responded, as she took a deep breath. "Thank you so much, Fayt." _

_0000 _

_The door swung open as Fayt stormed in, frantically shouting: "Are you alright?" She sat on the top cement step wearing only a patient gown with her legs dangling on the stairs, resembling a broken doll. Her face was buried in her hands as water started to seep through them, landing on her lap. Fayt dumped himself beside her and stretched an arm around her shoulder. _

_"I can't do it, Fayt!" She screamed out; the floor below and above could hear her as her voice echoed through the concrete stairwell. "I just can't!" _

_He moved her body closer to his with the arm around her shoulder as she threw her arms around him and clung unto him for dear life. His arm shifted lower while his hand rubbed her back in a circular motion. "Sophia," He spoke, softly, "you can't keep it." _

_"Then I'll raise it all by myself!" She said, in a determined voice. "I'll find a home and a job; I can do this." _

_"Sophia," He called out, with a slight growl. "What are you taking about? I'll be raising this child too if that happens! You're not alone. I'm taking full responsibility." _

_His words caused her body to freeze for a moment; tears halted as well. 'You're not alone' repeated itself in her head, which curved the frown she had into a smile. _

_"We can't raise it by ourselves." He informed, which faded the smile she had for a second. "You haven't finished high school so the only job you'll get is scrubbing toilets. I only have like twenty thousand fol, which isn't enough to support a child. Do you want your child to be raised in poverty? Do you want to live paycheque to paycheque?" _

_She started to sob again, and squeezed his body for support. "No," she wept, "We'll find are parents. They can help us out. Besides, where else are we going? Quark is gone and the court dates with the Federation are almost over. Are we going to stay here?" _

_"I guess we can stay here for the time being." He soothed, as he continued to rub her back. He could feel cool droplets of tears soak through his shirt. "Sophia, I don't want this either but we have no choice." _

_ "Well," she added, "now that we have an address, I guess we can give the baby up for adoption. Remember we discussed how that wasn't an option because we weren't sure where we'd be?" _

_"Yes, but are you sure you want to do that?" _

_"I can't keep it, so adoption's the best answer." She spoke, calmly. Her grip around him loosened as she placed a hand on her stomach and looked down. "I'm sure there is a loving home for this guy or girl. We'll find our parents soon and maybe then I can keep it. But for now, we're just going to have to think light of the situation an try our best to survive these seven months. My cousin was adopted and my aunt and uncle made sure he had a great life. Maria was adopted too and she was the leader of Quark. I may not be able to raise it but there are others that can who probably can't have children of their own." She looked up at him and flashed him a smile, while rubbing her belly. _

_"We're going to have to find the smallest apartment then since it's the only thing we can afford." He sighed, lowering his arm to around her waist. "Two bedroom apartments aren't cheap." _

_"I don't mind sharing a room with you, and the rent here on Roak isn't expensive. Besides, we're not going to live here long. I'm sure the jobs we get will at least make ends meet. Also, we need a home soon anyways so might as well stay here." _

_"I guess, no matter where we go we're going to have to live somewhere and work until we find are parents." He spoke, solemnly. Turning to her, his lips curled upwards as he said: "Adoption is the decision you made and I told you I'd support whatever you decide. So, I'm going to work my ass off until we find them." _

"Ahem." Albel coughed, trying to get her attention. Her eyes were dopey as she starred off into space for a minute. "Daydreaming about unrealistic things," he presumed. Her body jolted as her eyes blinked, giving him attention.

"Oh, sorry I just remembered something." She laughed, in a fake manner. "Where was I… Oh yes, I couldn't keep the baby. Mirage found out I was pregnant through experiences with friends but she never told anyone. She found out suddenly that her father broke his back and needed a housekeeper right away, but she didn't have time to go through the interviews. You know how they called me the unofficial maid and chef in the Diplo?" He nodded, but rolled his eyes, and tuned out of the conversation. "Well, she hired Fayt and I right away and if it wasn't for staying on Klaus IV we wouldn't have found Fayt's mom. Klaus IV is a socialist planet that had a programme where pregnant teenagers could finish high school and have pre-natal classes."

"Why does she have your last name?" He demanded, firmly. All the unnecessary information was started to make his eyes droopy. She normally wasn't a chatterbox but with the way she blurted everything out it seemed she wanted to get everything out of her system.

"We aren't married." She answered, as her cheeks started to redden. "When we do her last name will change but when she was born we weren't married. Fayt's name is on the birth certificate though but we decided that her name would be Isabelle Robin Esteed, since I still use my maiden name."

"Interesting," He pondered, as a finger rested on his chin. Her world was completely different that he couldn't comprehend why women would still use their maiden names. They had more women's rights, so it made sense that instead of using the father's name, as traditionally, with a child they used the mother's. "Robin?"

"Yup, she's named after Fayt's dad." She pointed out. Her words made he take a deep breath, as his body relaxed, and thought: "So she wasn't named after me. No one would name a child after two people."

_The grocery bags that her arms wrapped around started to make her muscles feel stiff. "Just a few more metres," she kept repeating herself, but her arms were feeling as if they were about to fall off. To top things off, her lower back started to ache, and her feet felt like it was being gnawed. "A nice hot bath would be nice," she thought to herself, as she continued to walk towards the front door. _

_"Sophia," An older voice of a woman called out behind her. Sophia twisted her body the opposite way to face the voice. Her eyes shot wide open, almost as if the eyelids were curled the way up. Her mouth stuttered while her face remained blank; her arms relaxed, dropping the paper bags unto the ground. She could hear the eye shells smack against the pavement. _

_"Aunt Ryoko!" She cried out, as her feet made her sprint towards the woman. Missus Leingod threw her arms around the girl and broke out in tears much like Sophia. They didn't embrace close enough because Sophia's stomach got in between them. _

_"How… did… you?" Sophia's jaw started to shake. _

_"You know Mister and Missus Smith?" _

_"Yes, they were thinking about adopting the baby." _

_"She's a co-worker of mine." Missus Leingod explained, as they let go of each other. Her hand stroked the back of Sophia's head as she commented: "You look good with short hair." It was almost as short as Nel's as the ends rested on her chin. _

_She thanked her, and started to wipe the tears of joy from her eyes. "So,' she spoke, "you where here all this time?" _

_"Yes, I work at the University of Klaus IV. It's a shame it wasn't the same one as Fayt's. I might have been one of his professors. I found out through Missus Smith that you were here and…" _

_"I know," She sighed, as her smile was glued on her cheeks. "Have you found my parents?" _

_"No, but they told us before we left for Hyda that they had a conference in Nede. It's a good thing they didn't stay on Earth." She explained, as she glanced at Sophia's belly. "I can't believe you and Fayt are having a baby. I remember when you were born your mother and I wanted you two to marry when you were older and have kids. Your father threw a fit and glared at Fayt for a month." _

_"Yes, and he's been so supportive. He goes with me to my pre-natal classes and the appointments. He's so protective; I can't even go near any stairs. Especially, now since I'm at seven months." She giggled, and placed a hand behind on her back, and massaged the ache. Her father was the stereotypical dad that sheltered the girl because he was afraid of men abusing her. She wondered what he would think of her now and what he would do to Fayt. _

_"I hear it's a-"She sang, as her smile began to grow. _

_"Don't tell me!" she interrupted, slamming her hands on her ears. "Fayt and the adoption agency know but I want it to be a surprise." _

_"Have you found a family?" _

_"Maybe, the Smith's but I don't know." She said, as her smile changed to a neutral expression. "I don't know why, but I can't find the family. They all were excellent, it's just," _

_"You want to keep it?" She asked, as her expression changed also to a neutral one. Sophia nodded, and rested her hand on her stomach. "I know how you feel." _

_"I don't want to give birth because that's the day I'm going to be parted with him or her." She spoke, glumly. "I know I'm being selfish because there is no way we could afford a baby. I don't want to give the baby up." _

_"How much money do you need?" She asked, reaching for he purse, but Sophia stopped her by saying, "Oh no, we have a job so you shouldn't do that; we'll be fine." _

_"I want to help you financially, and emotionally. Besides, don't you want to keep it?" _

_"Yes, but-" _

_"With money and the grandmother's support you can." _

_"Thank you so much!" Sophia cried, cheerfully. Her arms instantaneously swung around, as tears of joy flowed down her face. _

"If you're just going to go off into space like that I'm leaving!" Albel huffed, as he lifted himself away from the rails. His arms were crossed in disgusted as he marched towards the stairs, stomping each step.

"Thank you, Albel." She spoke, sweetly.

"I did nothing." He argued, as he reached the top of the stairs, and whispered: "Except waste my time watching you daydream about naïve thoughts."

"No, you really did help." She answered, as she strolled over towards him. "I'm still upset that she's ill, but I'm going to make the best out of the situation. Besides, Fayt should be here in what a week?"

"Humph." He snorted, as his body stiffen and his steps became louder. He made it down the first couple of stairs, quicker than he normally would walk.

"Why do you always get angry when I mention the word 'Fayt?'" She questioned. His body paused for a moment before darted his head above to face her. His face tightened as his eyes narrowed at her, while he denied, "I don't."

"Yes you do!" She informed, hitting the bulls eye. "See, Fayt, Fayt, Fayt, Fayt, Fayt." Each 'Fayt' she spoke made him shield his ears with his hands.

"It's not the name that bothers me it's you!" He lied, as he stormed down the stairs. "For the love of Apris, you're so fucking annoying!" He growled, as his body raced its way down the stairs, almost tripping at the speed he was going. That stupid worm stole her from him; yet, he knew he had no right to protect her and she was in good hands. Still, just the thought of those two made his blood boil. All things were easy for Fayt, and everything Albel went through he had to work hard but that didn't give him anything. Fayt wooed the most beautiful woman he knew; and he couldn't even find a girl that was willing to marry him for love. Just once, he would love to see his life fail so uncontrollable. Perhaps, his precious Sophia in the arms of another while he was gone?

The streets of Kirlsa were almost vacant this time of day. The sun was halfway raised, but there was plenty of light filling the street. Shop venders began to set up as a few people lingered along the streets. The guards at the gates started to disassemble them, as they heaved the metal, occasionally wiping the sweat from their brow. He turned his head backwards towards the city for a second, and then focused on the gates. His eyes jerked back behind as he slithered behind a wagon and starred across the street. Two people, wondered the streets dressed up in a strange costumes, foreign to what he had seen before. The blue-haired one was dressed elaborately in a dress that had a large semi-circle that covered the back of her neck and head. The other was dressed in a brightly coloured spandex suit with a cape flowing at the bad. The thing he noticed the most were the rings around his neck; three of them. His eyes widened, while his jaw dropped as he blurted, "Why are they here?"

They started to walk closer to him, as the conversation they had was heard and translated via their communicator. "I guess we came here too early, but it's hard to figure out the time from space." The young woman pointed out.

"Wow, this place is amazing." The Klausian spoke, cheerfully. The two held unto their masks, using a stick, which concealed their face, making them hard to identify.

"Quit gazing and start looking for them!" The girl hissed, as she darted her head around.

"Yes, dear!" The man spoke, frantically. "I won't let you down!"

He slid over behind the Inn so silently it was almost as if he was stalking his prey. The two of them switched streets and started to search the Inn. Minutes later, they popped out of sighing, indicating they had no success. "I guess they aren't here." The high-pitch man spoke, but the woman answered him, quickly: "This festival is busy so they could be anywhere." He followed the couple, crawling behind and beside various building every so often as they travelled down the street.

"Lieber, cover your neck people are starring." The woman suggested, as she planted herself in front of him. She cut some of the fabric from the bottom of his cape, and tied it around his neck, almost as if it were a scarf. She chuckled when she finished tying a large bow at the side, while he complained, "Maria, now I look like a girl!"

"Here, let me fix you." She smiled, still laughing from the disaster. "There," she nodded, as she untied the bow and moved the knot at the back. "We have to keep a really low profile because if the Federation finds out we're here they'll be on our ass."

He could hear a beeping noise, coming from her strange sleeves that puffed at the shoulders and narrowed at the wrists. She moved her wrists towards her ear, while he moved in closer, hiding behind a barrel. A voice was heard on the other end, but he couldn't make out what it said.

"Calm down, Fayt." Maria spoke into the device on her wrist. "What do you mean you've searched everywhere? You've only been there for half an hour! Did you check the inn?"

The voice replied to her comment. Even thought he couldn't hear him, he could hear how his voice was shaking; the exact same tone as when he Sophia woke up demanding to know where her daughter was.

"Calm down!" Maria growled, as her voice began louder. She turned to Lieber and said, "He's hyperventilating." Moving her head back towards the device, she opened her mouth to speak, but waited for a while. "Fayt, she's there somewhere. Cliff is going to have an audience with the Queen, so when he gives us information you will be the first to know. You're just going to have to be patient."

The voice snapped at her, in a loud tone, almost as furious as the mighty wrath of Apris.

"Fayt, I know you're upset but there isn't anything you can do but keep looking! Good things happen to those who wait! If you want, Lieber and I can go to Airyglyph and have an audience with the king."

The voice was less ticked off, but still fuming each word he spat.

"We'll call you when we have information." She informed, as her arm rested at her side to end the conversation.

"Aw, we can't stay here." Lieber sounded disappointed, as his voice was insecure and timid. "What about the legend... where if a couple... kisses at the grave of the lovers the moment the moon is halfway through the night, their love will last eternity. We can calculate everything to see which time it is. If you want to we can do it."

"It's just a myth, Lieber." She answered him, as she led the two of them down the street. "It's all about working hard in a relationship rather than letting luck decide. We worked hard and we're now married, so we don't need a silly myth."

"Yes, dear." He nodded, as smiled; going with everything she went with. It was almost as if she had him wiped and dragging around with a leash, but that was Lieber.

"Quick saying 'yes, dear' all the time. You need to become more independent sometimes."

"Yes, de…honey?"

"Never mind, 'yes, dear' suits you perfectly."

The two of them headed towards the wooden stairway that lead to an abandoned mine, while Albel continued to follow them. The stairs creaked each step they took, but remained sturdy. When they got to the bottom, they stood for a moment before disappearing in a yellow light.

"How did they get here so quickly?" Albel asked himself, as he headed the opposite way of the street, towards Woltar's mansion. "Fayt's here so it looks like I've got competition." 

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AN: More controversy! I think I'll stop being controveral. (but it's fun sometimes) I was kinda lazy in the decription last chapter that it was my main focus on this one! It didn't say Woltar had a wife so let's just say she died. (how nice, but he is ancient) Yes, Goddess Irui Mars is Celine's (SO2) hometown and I thought Sophia would like living there. Thank you Dragon Chyld and Goddess Irui for reviewing, and those who added this to faves/alerts. Thanks for reading and please reivew!


	14. Kinda Handsome

---Flashback---

Feet shuffled around, as the dirt scurried around and the pebbles jumped from one area of the ground to another. Blades clattered together like musical instruments as grunts cried out, battling for their lives. Albel twisted his head around and heard the deep breaths of the soldiers fighting. The entrance to the Kirlsa Cavern stood before him. Normally, Greg would stand in front to guide people to Kirlsa, but it was vacant except for the two inside. A male groan was heard as its body fell unto the ground, which caused Albel to lean against the entrance and peek into the cave. A woman, around his age with long silver hair stood above him with her body quivering. Her arms jiggled as the crimson-stained blade in her hand wobble, almost as if it were going to fall off. "What have I done," She stuttered as she looked down at the body. He opened his mouth to speak, but blood oozed out. Swinging his hands he tried to roll over, but he looked more like a bird trying to flap its wings; he had no success. Her body stiffened in a second as she clutched unto the dagger and thirsted it right through his throat, killing him instantly. Her body hunched over his as tears poured out, whimpering in sync with her body. Albel lifted his foot, and slide towards the side, but the dirt underneath shifted, creating a sound. The girl immediately darted her head behind, and yanked the dagger from the man. Albel leaned his back against the rock, within a millisecond of when she placed her fingers on the blade. His right hand moved towards the handle to his katana, while his eyes jerked towards the entrance.

He waited for a few minutes, but heard nothing, not even a pebble move. "Nice strategy, but it won't work," he commented out loud, as he unsheathed his sword the very second and twisted his body inside the cave. She pounced on him and moved his upper body backwards but he saw right through her plan and blocked her knife with his sword. With one sweep, he pushed the sword sideways, knocking the dagger from her hand. Her body went upside down, flipping frontward with her feet kicking him in a summersault. He took her hits to the head, but remained steadfast. Milliseconds after her feet placed the ground, she flipped the opposite direction, and created three back walkovers that left a couple of metres of space. His head began to throb lightly, but not enough to make him rub the pain.

She picked up the dead man's weapon from the ground, a naginata (1) and held it in her left hand, lunged over in a battle stance. His lips curled upwards when he saw her using her right hand to support the weapon. Naginata's were lighter than swords and with the speed of Crimson Blades it would be a challenge, but there were more disadvantages against her. "So, in battle she uses her week hand. What an honour to see her at full strength." He thought.

"You saw nothing!" Clair growled, as she clutched unto the naginata for dear life. "I'll kill you too!"

"You seem like a worthy opponent so don't bore me." He smirked and prepared himself for battle. Second to Adray, Clair was the most skilled warrior in all of Aquaria who managed to keep Arias despite being out numbered by numerous attempts. Now that Nel defeated Luther, Clair may have moved to third but she is still one of the best warriors. A fight with Clair was his most anticipated fight during the war, which he sadly didn't get a chance to do.

He was the first to strike, as he ran towards her with great speed, but not his full speed. His katana stretched out, waving back and forth and zigzagged its way across the battle scene. Clair evaded the attack by jumping into the air, over him, and rotated her body. Swinging the naginata from over her head, when she was upside down she sliced him in the back traveling upward from the flip, and spun back to her feet.

"Not bad, maybe I should actually try." He taunted, as his smirk remain on his face. The blade was able to pierce through skin, but hardly any blood leaked. He twisted his body and held the katana at an arms length to reach her, swinging in one swoop. Again, she evaded by jumping for an aerial attack but he wasn't the type to have the same attack work on him twice. The first attack he always allowed the opponent to win to enable him to see their style of attacking. She'll attack long range because of the weapon, which meant he had to do the same thing only aimed above in order to scratch her. Speed was an issue, but it took some time to jump then attack; it allowed him to counter attack. "Dragon Roar!" He called out, summoning dragons the colour of blood to leap unto her. This attack may have been slow, but by the time she reached him a millimetre from attacking she already lost. They pushed her across the battlefield, deeper into the cave, tossing her like a rag doll. She had lain on the ground in defeat, and to his surprise, there was no response from her.

He placed his sword back into its sheath and started to turn his body to exit the cave. He planted his foot in a step to leave but she called out, "wait," in a screech that echoed through the cave. Even the bats responded by fluttering their wings away.

"You already lost, maggot!" He snared back at her. "You aren't worth my time!"

"Please...don't tell." she said in a shaky voice. The cavern was pitch black; darker than night, but the voice wasn't projected very loud, indicating that she wasn't far.

"If it benefits me, which it might, I'll tell."

Before he could move there were whispers coming from the direction as she chanted, "Healing!" He rolled his eyes, thinking, "What the hell is she up to," and jerked his body towards the handle to his sword. Footsteps raced behind him, so faintly, if he weren't part of the military he wouldn't have been able to hear the dirt bush against her feet. He swung his body to block her attack using his sword; too late, she was already behind him. The naginata struck forward when she took her last step, but he was able to place his sword above his body. The impact still pushed him back, causing him to fall on his rump; his right hand stiffened to keep his sword from falling backwards. His hand nearly wobbled from trying to win this battle of strength. Surprisingly, her weapon was advancing forward. Naginata's were light which made it easier to control one's full strength, but one of the greatest advantage she had was both of her hands were on her weapon, while he only used his right hand. There was too much room in between for him to claw his way and strike, so he shifted his body to balance itself and aided his right hand by placing his left hand on the handle. Her standing was his disadvantage; even if he was the strongest and pushed her away, he couldn't get up on time. Instead, he let go of his right hand for a second, allowing her to creep closer, while his right hand went back, then forward, screaming, "Aura Wall!" An oval of ghouls were placed like a shield in front of him, protecting him. She moved in sync with the ghosts hitting her as she was paralysed, allowing him to get off of the ground.

His katana jumped from his left hand into his right, adjusting the blade properly. The wall was fading away when he prepared himself; it wasn't until he claimed the first strike when she was free. He swung his sword one more time but she was quick on her feet and dodged the attack by skipping backwards. A little blood dripped from her side, but it wasn't enough to affect the battle. He raced towards her with full fury, but during that brief period of time she screamed, "Lightning Blast." His legs tried to turn away from the attack but a line of electricity jolted him, causing him to dance. He really hated heraldry, especially the spells that were impossible to dodge, which was most of them. He thought it was a cheap way to attack someone. Clair started to breathe out loud after electrocuting him, as she held the naginata across from her body to block any attack. One side of his lips curled upwards in a smirk; her mind was weakened.

"Palm of Destruction!" He called out, as a chartreuse-green light emitted from his hand. She was too close to evade so she stretched the weapon outwards to block the attack. The orb of energy flew towards her, but her weapon could only prevent some light from hitting her. Her knees gave out, as she kneeled forward and collapsed unto the dirt, with her stomach on the ground.

"Worm!" He cursed, sheathing his sword back into its proper place.

"W..wait..." She stuttered, as her body shook, similar to her words. "Don't tell anyone. Please!"

"I told you if it's beneficial for me to tell I damn will!" He barked, as he placed his hands on his chest, waiting for an answer. "Unless you can come up with an offer that will prevent me from saying a word I can do with this information as I please!"

Her body froze for a moment, resembling some sort of dead person. He gave a, "humph," after a few seconds and rotated his body away from her. He went to walk away but she beckoned by saying, "I'll be your wife." His body stood, almost as immobile as she was. He began to laugh out loud, chuckling, "My wife? You really think that will stop me?"

"It's either Count Neppon's daughter or me." She insisted, in a huff. "I can bear you strong children."

His laughter stopped. Ignoring her comments was something he was about to do, but after listing he realised that her proposal wasn't as farfetched. A finger pointed towards his chin as his eyes rolled upward, contemplating on the idea. He told himself in his mind: "Strong children are needed in order to preserve the Nox title."

"You may be weak, but you aren't pathetically incompetent as most worms who claim they are part of the military." He pointed out, in his sly voice. "It's been a while since I had to use my other hand, so I agree-" Before he could finish Clair's eyes lit up, while her head darted upward and her mouth opened to speak. "If," made her close her mouth a lower her expression. "You kiss me on the lips. I need children --I don't want anything to do with them but they are needed-- so you aren't getting off the hook. I want to know if you'll follow your end of the bargain." His mouth still held onto the smirk as he thought, "No one ever has agreed to marry me because they know they have to sleep with a beast."

"Okay," she agreed, to his surprise. Her arms shuffled in front of her body as she dragged herself towards him on her stomach. He stood almost paralysed for a moment when she crawled towards him. Stepping a little closer to her, he dropped his body on the ground as she reached her hands on his shoulder and climbed her way upwards. Her breath was still heavy from the fight and paused for a moment when her body moved to a sitting position. She didn't even hesitate when she tilted her head and placed her lips unto his. It wasn't even a peck, it was soft, and lasting a few seconds before she slowly broke it. She was smiling when her right hand moved towards his forehead and shifted his mangled hair out of his face. "You have really nice eyes, and you're kinda handsome." She spoke sweetly, but it made his eyes jolt open.

_He hated this "battle ship" they were on. It was too big with doors and teleporters placing him in various rooms all he didn't want to be in, which made him go around in circles. Asking for directions was something he wasn't keen on and he liked to figure places out by himself using experience. The door flung upward, making him wonder which room he would land this time. "All I want is some damn food!" Tables and chairs were in this room scattered all over the place with a buffet table in the centre. "Finally," he sighed, and marched his way towards the food. Sitting on one corner were two young adults, a male and a female, seated across from each other and leaning towards each other. They looked like statues how they were so lifeless, just sitting there and gazed into each other's eyes. The man was the first to make a move by inching his hand towards hers._

_"Worms," Albel whispered out loud, which made the man's hand jolt away. He turned his body towards the buffet but words caught his attention._

_"Oh uh... hi Albel." Fayt stuttered as body turned sideways, away from Sophia's. Sophia did the same with while both of their cheeks started to turn a rose colour. _

_"Bah," Albel hissed, as he grabbed a plate from end of the buffet, close to the table Fayt and Sophia were seated. He could have left the room but his stomach was gurgling, almost creating noises. _

_"Your eyes don't look different at all." Sophia spoke to Fayt behind him. "Maybe Maria got it all wrong and you weren't a guinea pig."_

_"Maybe."_

_The only noise in the room for a few seconds was Albel lathering his plate up with a very small variety of foods. He wasn't fond of a lot of flavours in this world but it was such a culture shock to see so much food on one table. His eyes narrowed at the table as he slammed the serving spoon back into the mashed potatoes. They have too much food and yet his people were starving._

_"I wonder if people from other planets have different eyes than us, Fayt." Sophia chimed in, interrupting Albel's thoughts. "I mean, we see them from far away but not up close."_

_"You're going to have to ask Albel." Fayt replied, but as soon as he stop speaking Albel turned around and asked, somewhat irritated, "You're going to have to ask me what?"_

_"Oh, never mind." Sophia answered, softly. _

_He dropped his plate off at the closest table and stomped his way towards the girl. Fayt was on the defence and shot out of his seat and hissed, "She was just wondering if your eyes are different. Don't you lay a fing-" His words were cut off when Albel dumped his body and kneeled in front of her with his arm's crossed. Whenever he tried to be calm people often mistook him for being angry for some odd reason; they'll know when he will have been mad._

_"Do they look different to you?" He questioned, shortly. This other world fascinated him and even though eyes seem unimportant he wanted to know how different these people were. After all, they are a different race._

_She brushed his hair from his face and moved closer to him until there were thirty centimentres between them, further than with Fayt. They stood in silence for a few moments as she kept gazing at him, showing little emotion on her face. Curiously, he looked into hers but she jerked away and let his hair fall back into his face. For that brief second he saw a yellow burst in her eyes flaring from the pupil and blue specs throughout, something he didn't notice from far away. _

_"So?" Fayt asked, as Albel lifted himself away. _

_"You have really nice eyes, Albel." Sophia responded, sweetly. "They're different but I can't place my finger on the words." _

_"Well, I'm going to check out the workshop. Do you wanna come, Sophia?" Fayt questioned, with a slightly peeved tone of voice._

_"Sure, I'll be right there." _

_Fayt gathered all of the dishes, placing them on the tray and brought them to their appropriate spot before exiting. Albel starred at her for a second with his eyes fixed on her expression. "If you have something to say, say it!" _

_"Oh, it's nothing." She spoke, in a shy voice. He still stood in front of her, not moving until he heard an answer. Around people, she was timid and kept things to herself, but she couldn't conceal any expression she felt._

_"You two are pathetic with your 'young love.'" He hissed, as he narrowed his eyes at her. _

_"We're not lovers!" Sophia pouted, while her face again started to redden. "Just friends."_

_"Sure, 'just friends.'" _

_"Well, he is handsome." She blurted out, but as soon as she spoke her hands jumped towards her mouth and covered them. "I mean… we haven't gone out."_

_"Whenever." He growled, as he turned his body around. He took a few steps forward but she but him off by saying, "Why, does he like me?"_

_"How am I supposed to know?" He snared, while lying. All Fayt could talk about when they went to capture Crossell was about Sophia. It made his blood boil just saying her name. He didn't know her, nor did he see her face, but the way Fayt dragged on made him snap. He tried killing him in Peterny to shut him up, but he quickly covered his scheme wondering if Fayt hated him. A man's woman was what was most important to him and it wasn't his place to discuss her. He knew it wasn't the girl that made him angry; the fact that they were a happy couple made him green._

_"I told you, if you have something to say, say it!" He yelled, while twisting his body around. When he was walking towards his meal he knew she was standing there right behind him, frozen. The military enabled him to have eyes at the back of his head by listening carefully to subtle movements. _

_"It's nothing." She spoke, solemnly, but he glared at her and stood so concretely to tell her he wasn't moving until she spilled the beans._

_"Why do you have your hair covering your face? I mean… you're kinda handsome."_

_His eyebrow arched upwards as he scrunched his face, trying to figure out what she meant._

_"Never mind." She shrugged off, as she took a few steps away from her table. Before he started to walk towards his plate of food his body stayed in that spot. "Great," he thought to himself, "I'm **kinda **handsome while he's fully handsome." Her response may have been so innocent but it felt more like a million daggers: a wolf in sheep's clothing. _

"If anyone asks, we're lovers." He snorted as his body rose from the ground. Clair shuffled her legs around to stabilise her into a sitting position. She gave a nod, then turned her head toward the dead body.

"This used to be where we met each other." Clair pointed out, still starring at the bloody man. "Since I often came here, we could pretend this was where we met."

"Isn't he married?" He asked, while his feet marched towards the body. Picking it up from the shoulders he held unto it for a while. Blood trickled with the flow of gravity from its wounds.

"Yes," she responded, slowly and paused, "to my best friend."

"What a nice friend you are. Maybe I shouldn't marry you since you aren't faithful and touched."

"Please, I'm sorry." She cried out, while her hands fell to the ground and her head hung low; her body slouched over. The tears fell down unto the dirt as her body whimpered. "You don't know what it's like to kill the one you love the most!"

Her words nearly made him drop the body while his face became relaxed. His eyes shot open as he could feel his heart race inside his chest.

"You don't know what it's like to drink your sorrows away, only to have drunk so much that alcohol doesn't have an effect. Or..."

"Shut up." He interrupted, as he stepped towards the exit, dragging the corpse with him. He could start to feel water inside his eyes, but he controlled himself and didn't let a tear form.

"Sorry, I guess you already have."

This time, he did drop the body. His eyes twitched as his arms stiffened for a moment. Grabbing his sword, he unsheathed it and stomped his way towards Clair. She grabbed the naginata and placed it in front of her to defend herself, while her head was turned to the side and her eyes were closed. Growling, he placed the sword above his head and swung the sword downward.

_You must learn to control your temper. Please, stop killing, Albel. _

He stopped the sword thirty centimetres from her head and swiftly put the katana back within milliseconds. Giving a "bah," he dumped himself beside her, with his arms resting on his bent legs in front of him. Clair threw her weapon off to the side and used her hands to rummage through a pouch. She was defensive by wolfing a few blackberries and gulping a canteen of water. He used his energy starring at her while the two were sitting in silence.

"I'm sorry about earlier." She apologised, which made him look away from her. Her hands moved close to the sides of his face as her palms rested on his cheeks. Moving him to face her, she shuffled over and kissed him. He froze for a moment as her lips practically devoured him. He knew she only did this to get him to marry her and there wasn't any affection between the two, but he couldn't help himself. He did something he never did with a woman before: kept kissing for minutes. They embraced each other, as if they were in some romance novel, just kissing.

"Maybe," he thought to himself, "if we pretend long enough we were lovers, we will fall in love. In love…" Just those two words, made him push her off of him for a moment. All the relationships he knew were all one sided. That feeling of two people loving each other was something foreign and didn't think existed.

"What is it?" Clair asked, stroking the hair out of his face.

"Humph," Albel replied, as he lifted himself off the ground. "So, you're that desperate enough to marry me? What a fool."

"If I do will you keep this a secret?"

He nodded in response, as he held out his hand. She didn't hesitate when she took it and shook on agreement. Raising her body from the ground, they both glanced at the body, then looked back at each other.

"I can't believe I killed him… on purpose. I even had a plan." She spoke, grimly but without any tears.

"We better get the body out of our love nest." He proposed, as they both went towards the corpse. "We'll relocate the crime scene somewhere else."

"I actually think they might buy that we are lovers." Clair assured. Her hands went towards the dead man's feet while Albel took the top part. They lifted the body from the ground and carried it along the pathway, darting every second to canvas the area.

"There are more idiots out there than people who can think." Albel ranted, as they hulled the carcass. "Well, you did say you came here every so often to meet him so it's the perfect set up. Besides, everyone thinks your some kind of honest person who wouldn't think of first-degree murder. I knew you weren't innocent. What baffles me is why?"

"I thought I was pregnant. When I travelled to meet him I was going to kill him, than me, but my peri…uh, I found out I wasn't when I was halfway. Still, I didn't want to take the chances again so I decided to kill him anyways."

"Remember, I can easily tell someone if I think you're unfaithful, so you better keep your word." He pointed out, in a cold voice. "I don't think you want Nel of all people to find out about this."

"I promise, I'll be faithful." Clair spoke, sincerely. "After all, we're 'lovers.'"

"Right, we're lovers."

Lovers…was a word he still couldn't get over. It was a charade every time they held hands with each other down the street. They did maintained a low affection profile around others to make their love believable, but it was still a lie. The sad thing about the whole disguise was that he enjoyed it. He never had a girlfriend before, and even though the love was fake he at least had someone. He thought he had given up on love the day Sophia left his world with that blue haired jerk. But, maybe this love will be real if they brainwashed each other long enough. Each day Clair's face made him forget about Sophia. Little by little, her existence was slowly fading away; until the day that stupid, bratty child came and ruined everything. A man so condemned by slaying mercilessly could never share love with another. After all, he was only "kinda handsome."

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(1) a Japanese spear with a knife at the top. Now, usually women use them but during this time it would be mixed.

AN: aren't these eighth notes pretty? That's to Dragon Chyld, another reader and Goddess Irui for the reviews. (Sorry to offend you Goddess Irui- I tried to be unbiased as well and I wanted to state the risks since there are some I wasn't trying to make a stand on that issue) Thank you Knight for telling me that POD does do MP damage. (too lazy to check for myself) Sorry for the filler chapter, the next one will be back in the present. Oh my! I found a story where people had sex on a roof. (a serious one) I think I started a trend. lol DO NOT HAVE SEX ON A ROOF! Sorry this took a while, but I was busy. (was going to add more but it needed to be out) Yes, I did write another story, but it was a oneshot that took ten minutes, and not out of valuable time with this (goes back to finish the next chapter) Sorry for the wait!


	15. Stratagy

Albel slothfully crawled up the staircase as he entered the second floor to Woltar's mansion. His mind was extremely scattered as mixed ideas ran through his mind, which made him almost trip over steps from thinking. His body programmed himself to take the hallway leading to his room, but a loud laugh caught his attention. He cleared his mind, as his head darted towards the voice; it came from inside Woltar's office. "What's mother doing?" He thought to himself, as he slithered towards the doorway. It was open three quarters of the way, so his body angled itself parallel with the door in order not to be seen. Peeking in, all he could see was half of an armchair where a body was resting across it. A small head leaned against the arm in his viewing range, clinging unto a bear. His eyebrow raised as his placed a finger to his chin. It was less than an hour ago when he saw Nel sleeping like a baby in this room.

"I still can't believe that a young lady like yourself defeated those monsters roaming around." His mother spoke, in a pleasant voice. "You must be very strong, and able to bear strong children."

"Uh," a high pitch voice blurted out. Even though he couldn't see the reaction, he could tell that the woman's cheeks were beat red in embarrassment. "I wouldn't say that." Her words almost sounded as if she was about to cry.

"No need for your eyes to be puffy." His mother's voice was firm, but not cold. "It will ruin your make-up, and a woman's make-up is her face."

"Sorry, it's just... never mind." She spoke, in a fake laugh, trying to conceal her emotions. "I haven't thanked you, so I thank you so much for looking after me."

"No need, Lady Esteed." She assured, calmly. "I want to know more about your world, like what does your father do?"

"Oh, dear." Albel sighed, shaking his head.

"He's a.. I'm not sure you'd understand, but he is a doctor." Sophia replied, in her quiet voice. "He works in a laboratory in the old Lacour castle-"

"Oh, so like a baron?" His mother interrupted with great enthusiasm. "After the revolution the nobility have been almost non-existent but there are a few barons in the castle."

"No, he isn't a baron he's..." Sophia paused to ponder. "In our world, we do have a monarchy but the king is more like a figure head. The wealthy people are like merchants and there isn't a nobility, which is like your government but the wealth belongs to head merchants."

"Oh, I understand." She answered, but her cheerfully expression didn't change. "The Noxes originally were landlords who owned five square kilometres, but now are also part of the military. A large beast attacked Airyglyph when Albel's grandfather was in town and he had slain the beast. The king was on the streets that day and knighted our family for protecting him. Some people call him Lord Albel because his military rank is high and his grandfather just owned land, but he is a knight."

"I never knew Albel owned five square kilometres." Sophia's spoke, in awe. He could tell her jaw almost dropped when his mother mentioned the land, something she wanted Sophia to do. "Was his grandfather part of the military, or was that after he was knighted?"

"He did join after, but his son, Albel's father, had so much young talent that he didn't join for long." Lady Nox explained. "The military only accepts applicants at the age of fifteen but Sir Glou Nox was so talented that he joined at thirteen. My father, at that time they only had one military unit, was the general and appointed him lieutenant of his own battalion at the age of nineteen."

"Wow, no wonder why Albel is an amazing swordsman and a brigadier." Sophia gasped. "Talent sure ran in his family."

He turned his body around to face the door, and using his clawed hand he batted it open. One side of his lips curled upward, as his arms crossed under each other. He disliked when people commented on how skilled he was because he is a brigadier. The Black Brigade was the reject brigade where the requirements weren't as strict because they were pawns meant to be the decoys. His father and grandfather were the real swordsmen since they didn't spend their lives training, and achieved higher skill levels.

"Good mourning Albel, I was just having a wonder conversation with Lady Esteed." His mother greeted, with a smile on his face. His grin lowered, while his eyes glared at her; whenever mother smiled she was plotting something.

"I need to talk to you alone." He barked, shuffling towards the side to indicate that he wanted to talk in the hallway.

"We must speak again, perhaps at breakfast, Lady Esteed."

Sophia was sitting at Woltar's desk. In front of her was a fragile book and a box that had been rusted, while his mother stood beside her. Albel's eyes glanced across the room while his mother strolled towards the doorway. His eyes fixed on Isabelle sleeping, and nearly shot open when he first saw her, as if he had been electrocuted. He didn't notice how her hair was chopped completely off and left with a few hairs spiked upwards. Sophia was in the same room without a reaction, so she must have known.

_She gathered her hair all together in a fist and moved her hand above her head. Her grip was firm, practically pulling the hair when the blade in her other hand swept across, cutting each strand in a single swing._

"Yes, I wonder what you wanted to ask me in private." She spoke, slyly, wearing a smirk on her face. The two moved a little away from the doorway towards Woltar's bedroom.

"I know what you're planning!" He hissed, waving his arms to express his anger. "Have me marry the first girl you see that way you can marry Woltar. I don't want you to get Sophia involved in your strategy!"

His mother chuckled, while she placed a hand to cover her mouth. "Strategy," she giggled. "She's _Lady _Esteed, didn't I teach you to address people correctly?"

"What was the whole, 'bear strong children,' 'what does you father do,' or my favourites, 'we own five square kilometres, see we're rich', and 'Albel is so strong because he's the brigadier to idiot soldiers who don't know what a sword is!'" He mimic, in a sarcastic tone. "I thought you hated taking about money and how much land we own."

"I do, but it influences a bride's family." She informed, while her expression changed to neutral. "I think she will make an excellent wife and I picked her because you like her and she's strong. We can't have you marrying just anyone and you know how strict I am with whom you will marry."

"Well, she's already engaged so you can scratch her name off of the list! Maybe I won't marry, how about that."

"You need children to preserve the Nox Title!" His mother argued, while her eyes glared. Her face started to resemble his. "I know you prefer men, but you only need a couple of children. Do you want your cousin gaining your title?"

"Excuse me?" He started to laugh. "I do not prefer men! You just want to marry Woltar but won't until you know I'm settled down. What do you think dad will think of you sleeping around with his best friend!"

"Sleeping around?" She repeated, while her eyebrows scrunched. "We haven't yet, and if you don't start producing children _Count_ Woltar and I will! Besides, your father wanted me to marry him when he passed away, but when he did die Count Woltar had already been wed."

"You're going to have children." His laugher grew, almost falling over unto the floor. "You're how old? Old maids can't bear children."

"I'm not as old as you'd think." She defended, casting him a cold glare that looked as if she was going to murder him. His laughter stopped; he really didn't know her age. For years she always lied about her age because "a lady shouldn't tell one her real age" so he presumed she was ancient. Woltar's wife was infertile but it never bothered him because he treated Albel like one of his own.

"In a couple of years I won't be able to bear children, so now is the time."

"How old are you really?"He asked, as he raised an eyebrow. She gave a sigh, as her body started to fidget. Her hand cupped the side of her mouth as she whispered, "your father and I married when I was sixteen," into his ear.

"Now, that's private information so I don't want you blurting it out." She hissed, as her eyebrows were crossed.

"So dad and Woltar are what, twenty years older than you?" He questioned, with a smirk on his face.

"Actually, Count Woltar is only fifty. Your father would have been fourty-nine if he were still alive." She replied, while Albel's eyes widened for a second. At first it didn't make sense because Adray was thirteen years older than Woltar, but looked way younger. He then realised, Glyphians haven't been eating properly while Aquarians did, so Glyphians aged faster.

"You learn something new everyday." His thought was spoken out loud.

"Now, you have two options: you produce a child first or I will." His mother demanded, with a slight smile. Albel narrowed his eyes at her and crossed his arms to study her. He was starting to think how their age had made them both senile. Just the thought of those two trying to have children made him want to rip his eyes out. On a positive note, his mother will be out of the house.

"My son is the most handsome man in the world," She smiled, as her hand placed unto his cheek. "So, it wouldn't be a problem for him to find a bride."

"MOTHER!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. His hand yanked her's from his face; his eyes started to twitch. Instead of showing fear, his mother started to do something he hadn't seen her do: giggle out of happiness, but not in a deviant way. Her hand even covered her mouth, while her eyes smiled. "What," he roared; almost as if the fires of hell were surround him.

"You need to control your temper sometimes, Albel." She spoke, calmly. "I never understood why you hated affection so much. Whenever someone gave you a hug as a child you nearly chopped their head off. When you were really small, around Lady Esteed's sister's age, maybe a little younger, you used to love getting so many hugs and kisses from me."

"I can see why I hate affection, now." He joked, but seemed irritated in his speech. "You guys never gave me affection, it was always towards Sophie."

"Your father and I gave you so many hugs and kisses." She argued. "We stopped when you were four that way you wouldn't remember. A soldier should never be showered with affection."

"Sophie is dead." He informed, shortly. "You only want children because she died so young and you couldn't give me any affection. Is that why you gave Isabelle Sophie's clothes? Because she and _Sophi-AH_ remind you of Sophie?"

"Yes, _Lady Esteed_, remember titles, would be Sophie's age, but I do know Sophie is dead." She replied, without any expression on her face. "I didn't need those clothes and the poor girl was wearing unfashionable rags. I do miss having young ones around, and her sister reminds me of Sophie the way she holds that bear. So, that is why I think you should marry Lady Esteed!"

"I told you she is engaged!"

"Engaged, but not married." She blurted out, almost interrupted Albel. A smirk was worn on her wrinkly face, which made his eyes roll. "Whom is she 'engaged' to? Probably some low-life her parents arranged. You are a brigadier and the strongest man in Elicoor, so you can easily show this man who's boss."

"Things don't work like that in her world." He answered, in a growl. "She is engaged to someone even I can't defeat, and she loves this guy. There are some things in life one can't win by force." He sighed, to pause for a moment. "Why do you like her all of a sudden? You hate foreigners."

"She's from another world, and she might have some sort of powers that can be useful for the Nox title." She responded, still wearing her smirk. "I hate to admit it but the Aquarian's are right in believing in a celestial beings."

He started to chuckle, "So, you think she has some sort of divine powers? I don't understand everything in her world, but I don't think she is some sort of angel. She does possess strong powers but her body was altered when she was in her mother's womb. It's not magic, it's their technology like the flying fortress that crash in Airyglyph five years ago."

"But strong powers, which is something she can pass off in our family."

He didn't even respond to her statement; just stood there for a moment. Without a word, he swung his body around and marched towards Woltar's office. Before he could reach the door his mother pouted, "Well, she did seem uneasy when I mentioned children, so she could be infertile. Or, can her kind produce with ours?" He quickened his pace and moved into the office, slamming the door behind.

Sophia had her head down, reading the text to the book with a pair of tweezers in her hands by a candle to protect the pages. He walked towards her but a soft voice made him pause for a moment.

"Uncle Nox, where daddy go?" Isabelle spoke, slowly, as she started to yawn. He darted his head towards her and saw her still laying down, but with her eyes open.

"How am I supposed to know!" He lied, out of anger. "Why do you call me uncle, and why don't you have any hair?"

"In the region on Earth where I'm from, children call older adults 'aunts' and 'uncles' out of respect." Sophia explained, but her voice was scratchy. He looked in front of him to see her and say her face flooded in tears. Her eyes were turning red from all of the sobbing, while her body was positioned a little away from the book in order to keep it from dampening. "I call Fayt's mother," she went on, as she dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, "aunt Ryoko though she isn't my real aunt." She turned to face her daughter and said, sweetly, "Daddy will be here soon. He is around here somewhere. Get some rest, sweetheart, you're still ill."

"Dammit," he thought to himself, while his eyes started to narrow, "she knows where he is."

"Nighty-night." Isabelle sang, as he could hear her roll around in the armchair to make herself comfortable. Sophia flashed her a smile, then turned to Albel. Placing her arms on the desk, she slid the chair backwards and stood up.

"I can't translate that journal when she's here." She started to weep. "This journal is so horrible and morbid." Tears rushed out of her eyes; her handkerchief immediately went under her eye. The tweezers were placed beside the book in order to use both hands to wipe the tears.

At first he thought she was crying over a love story since she was so emotional reading romance novels; but when she mentioned 'morbid' his expression changed to a neutral one. He never knew why a cheerful and peace-loving girl like her liked angst so much. "Let me guess," he spoke to her, "you read the part when the maiden went to the Training Facility."

She gave a nod and paused for a moment before saying: "I don't understand why people would do something like this to a person and feel pleasure."

"It's quite amusing seeing them tremble and attempt to move." Albel pointed out, with a smirk on his face. "Just seeing their blood and insides pour out of them; it's beautiful."

"But these are human beings!" She yelled, but not loudly. "How would you like it if someone did that to you? No one deserves to be in that kind of pain. Why? Why would people do this? Not only that, they raped her so violently." She stopped for a moment, to cry, while her arms dropped. "I can't finish reading this!"

"It's fun to hear them scream."

"Why?" She blurted out a millisecond after his answer.

He shrugged his shoulders, and brought his arms across his chest to cross them. "Personally," He started to explain, "I find it more amusing to have sex with a woman that wants it, but some men liked seeing the women struggle while they rip their limbs apart in sex."

"That's disgusting!" She whispered, as she walked towards him. Grabbing his sleeve, she quickly glanced at her daughter before pulling him towards the desk. "Not only that, they tried to slaughter her because she was a foreigner. That's racism!"

"That's Airyglyph's policy to make sure they stay out." He informed, without any expression in his face. "Maybe if you read more, her 'knight in shining armour' saves her and they live happily ever after."

"Actually, the 'knight' wasn't a hero." She clarified. "He only sparred her life because he lusted after her and used her for sex. You can read it for yourself." Her hands dug into her pocket, and pulled out a circular machine.

"You didn't use it?" He asked, while receiving the communicator.

"It's in my mother tongue." She replied. Stepping off to the side, she allowed him to move towards the chair. He seated himself, and moved forward to examine the book. Before using the communicator, he could recognise some symbols as her language. She moved beside him and said, "The maiden was actually from my world. Her ship crashed, and purposely burned it to follow the Underdeveloped Planet Preservation Treaty." Fiddling with a few buttons, Sophia adjusted the communicator to translate text, instead of an oral conversation.

"That explains why in the Aquarian version she descended from the heavens. Airyglyphs don't believe in angels so the maiden was from a far-away land, presumably Greeton."

"That's similar to 'The Swan Princess Story' from my world." She spoke in the Elicoor language, since he had the communicator. Though she had a talent for picking up languages, her speech had a slight accent. His cheeks turned a rosy colour for a moment. He jerked his head towards the book and scanned the text, reading the translated words on the communicator. "Wow," he commented, "I thought I was sadistic. His own mother approved of this?"

"Isn't that horrible?" She added. "Albel," her tone turned into one of concern. "This was the reason why your mother was so cruel to you. I mean, look at her now, she's kind to you."

"Humph," he growled, as he inched closer to the book, almost shielding it from her. He didn't want to admit it, but he had noticed that his mother wasn't as critical.

"Her son committed genocide and brutally murdered people for pleasure." She went on, while he ignored her. "But, she didn't hate you." Her words, made his head swing towards her, while his eyes the colour of blood glared at her. "I love my daughter, even if she did similar things in that journal. I'd be disappointed and so hurt. She doesn't understand why I discipline her now, she thinks I hate her, but I do it that way she can become a good person. To raise a child with so much morals and have her do that?" She rambled on, but he couldn't help but listen. The two were in the silence for a few moments. "See," she smiled at him. "That is why she is was so cruel to you."

"Whatever." He snorted, while he shuffled a little towards the side on his seat, to block her away. Her comment made logical sense, but he couldn't believe her argument.

_"How many lives did you slaughter today? Pretty soon you'd be the only one left in the world. The others lives you somehow sparred would commit suicide knowing they have to live with a monster. Or, you killed everyone one. What a lonely life, but you don't deserve companionship after what you've done. You reap what you sow."_

_"Look, it's an innocent child, why don't you kill it? You've also orphaned children by killing their parents, so why not kill a child?" _

_"If your father were alive, he'd probably stab himself knowing that his son is a psychotic killer. You know what, it should have been me stabbing myself; right in the lower stomach when I found out a daemon would be born and I had the burden to carry it." _

He shook his head and fixed his eyes on the communicator. He read a few sentence, but grabbed the tweezers from the side and held it towards the candle. After the tweezers were sterilised, he flipped through the pages, asking out loud, "Where is the part where this bastard dies? Might as well get to the good stuff." He hated reading more than anything. Each word was like a chore for him.

"His name is Maddox, if that helps." She added. He stopped browsing through the pages and repeated, "Maddox." Throwing the gloves on, his hands leapt towards the box, nearly ripping the top off. He pulled the letter out and started to read it again. "Dear, Count Algernon Woltar."

"What is it?" Sophia asked, as she leaned closer and peeked at the letter.

"This letter's a fake." He added, and examined the handwritings. "The handwriting's the same but why would she write something that contradicts the journal. Who the hell is Algernon?"

"We've only read one entry to the journal, so who is to say Algernon wouldn't be added in?" She explained, as she move closer to the letter to read it. "It does make sense that she would leave her lover a letter because she doesn't belong in Elicoor. They are from two different worlds, and can never fall in love. "She paused for a moment, which caused him to think.

_"You in love with Sophia? You're from two different worlds, it can never work out."_

_"Sorry Albel, but we have to leave here. Fayt and I have to find our parents and we have to restart our lives. I don't think I'll see you again. It's a shame we're from two different worlds."_

"What's wrong?" She asked, while a hand was placed on his shoulder.

"I still think this festival has anything to do with this journal." He hissed, as he began to close the book. Dust created a cloud, steaming out of the book as the pages fell one by one. An image caught his eye, but traveled too quickly that the book closed before getting a clear picture. He opened the cover to reveal the image; his eyes widened and couldn't blink for a moment. Sophia leaned closer to see the photo, and said, "That looks like me!" Her hand was placed above the smudged text, but not on the paper to preserve the journal. "Something...Le...feld," she tried to read but the words were practically the same colour as the page.

"Humph," he showed his disinterest, which caused her to step to the side, and take away her hand. Pushing the chair away from the desk, he stood up and tossed her the communicator.

"Well, if the journal has nothing to do with the festival I wouldn't feel bad taking my daughter to see the sights. Wanna come?" She offered, with a smile. "Fayt's nearby, and I know we should wait for him, but it's the last day of the festival and as soon as Fayt arrives we're leaving."

A "no" was something his mouth was open to say, but he closed it and placed a finger on his chin. She would be leaving, again, after staying a short while and the chance of her come back was slim. He hated this festival more than anything but it would be the last time spent with her. Also, when she sees Fayt he wouldn't see her again. "If he sees her..." he pondered inside his mind.

"Fine," he agreed, which made her smile grow larger. "If you're going to see the sights you have to dress up and cover your face with a mask. I don't want to be the only fool in a stupid costume."

"That's great, but would Fayt recognise us?" She asked, as her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. His lips were glued shut, as his mind was like a blank canvas. "We won't be long," she added, cheerfully, "and he's probably going to come here first. So, you're really going to dress up with a mask?"

"Of course, I don't want to be seen."

She giggled at his response, bringing a hand near her mouth. "Well," she smiled, "I better find a costume for Isabelle and me. Hmm... maybe she can go as a ghost if we're allowed to use a bed sheet. What should I go as?"

"Anything that doesn't make you identifiable." He answered, in a sinister voice.

"How about a cat?" She thought to herself out loud. "I'll ask Woltar or your mother if they have a costume."

Sophia walked towards the armchair Isabelle was in, while he walked towards the window. Opening the curtains, the room was soaked in light, practically blinding him.

"Hey sweetie," Sophia awoke her daughter in a calm voice, "breakfast is probably ready and afterwards there is a festival. You can dress up whatever you like to be."

Albel listened to her conversation, but monitored the outside, over looking the city. His eyes were almost pinned towards the window, as they occasionally glanced around the streets, canvassing the area.

"Long hair." Isabelle answered, in a yawn.

"Aw, I'm sorry but your fever was so high I had to cut your hair to cool you." She comforted. He could hear her giving Isabelle a hug. "Hair is just hair sweetie, and it grows back. Well," she paused for a second. "Don't worry, I'll give you a wig."

The room was silent for a few seconds, which enabled him to search the city easier without a distraction. People started to enter the streets and looked like small ants traveling to him. The second story on the hilltop didn't cover the entire city, but slowed a clear picture.

"What are you looking at, Albel?" Sophia asked, in a curious tone. "Need help?"

"No," he turned his body around a one-eighty, slowly. "Just looking outside, nothing in particular."

"Okay," she flashed him a smile before exiting the room. When she left, he turned around again and pushed his eyes close to the glass. "If he can't see her," he smirked deviously, "he can't take her."

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AN: Thank you another reader, Goddess Irui and Dragon Chyld for reviewing. So far, I have had 2 000 hits to the story! woot! THANKS EVERYONE! Also, I noticed this like ten chapters ago, but Gaitt is in the southern hemisphere so this story is supposed to be technically fall, but I wrote down it's spring. Thinking the events of SO3 and how everything works, it would be more benifically that everything was in the southern hemisphere, so the 'spring flowers in the garden' will change. They could be planting bulbs, but it's kinda too late for May. I'm going off to school next week, so it will be a long time until I update. (Sorry, but it's five hours away and I have to study.)


	16. Fourteen Seconds

A sea of people flooded the streets all dressed in outlandish outfits. Visibility was so faint it was hard to see metres ahead. Sophia clutched unto Isabelle's hand as if it were a dead man's drip. Her costume was a queen: Lady Nox would never dress in something lower than herself. Her gown was decorated in violet hues, while she wore a golden tiara. Her upper face was covered in a half mask, elaborately decorated in the finest paint. An ostrich feather was attached on the side by her ear. Little Isabelle didn't go as a ghost; (Lady Nox wouldn't approve of a simple outfit) she went as a pink dragon. It was something Albel wouldn't be caught dead in but the bubblegum colour was Isabelle's favourite. The costume and mask was very childish:big eyes with long lashes. On Earth, it would have a cheerful smile but the people of Airglyph were a little more pessimistic about life. The mouth was a straight face. Albel went as a knight dressed up in a full silver armour covered from head to toe. The tiny slits from his helmet around the eyes made it hard to see, but no one would recongise him. The three went weaved around the passenger by's and those standing around, inattentive towards those trying to get around. Sophia moved a step but her arm was pulled by her daughter, which made a jerk. She looked behind her.

"Ball," Isabelle squealed. Her paws pointed towards a game stand. With all the people Sophia didn't notice, but it caught her daughters eyes. She turned around to look at the stand. It had baskets about two metres away from the counter. All sorts of candies were on display; they were the prize. It was similar to the old basketball game at fairs she and Fayt would go to as kids. She remembered one time she wanted a purple cat toy that Fayt had to get for her. He drained his allowance money but was determined to make Sophia happy. She cherished that toy not out of want, but out of love. She would rather he gave up since it wasn't worth it, but Fayt kept going.

"Worm, there you are!" Albel huffed.

It snapped her back to reality. He stood a couple metres ahead of her but waddled his way over.

"Sorry," she apologised, "Isabelle's attention was this game."

The man running the game held in his hand a ball, the size of a volleyball. He wore no expression on his face, which was normal around here, but it was still strange. He looked around for potential customers and caught his eyes on Albel. "Twenty fol three chances, sir."

"Oh, I'm not-" Albel was cut. The man ignored his answer and showed one of the candies to Isabelle. "Blueberry jam cookies." The man explained. "Only if you get it in."

"I want!" Isabelle said, full of excitement. Her hands were above the head, about the height of the counter, trying to grab the treats.

"Manners, sweety." Sophia consoled. She lowered her daughters hands.

"Please?"

Sophia reached in her pocket to pull out a twenty fol bill. She gave it to the man who exchanged it for the ball. However, his eyebrows raised out of confusion for Airglyph was still a male dominated country. Sophia held the ball in her right hand with her arm at a ninety-degree angle, just like Fayt taught her. His teachings were coming back to her each step she took. Gently placing the left hand at the side of the ball, she started to take her aim. She flicked her wrist, causing a perfect parabola that went towards the basket, but went off the rim. She scrunched her face; she was sure it would have gone in.

"Nice try," The man smirked. "Maybe you should let your husband take care of this one."

A strange feeling overcame her as her body tensed for a second. "Uh, he's not my-"

"Fine," Albel interrupted. She glanced a him, with her cheeks pink from awkwardness. Though he was completely covered, she figured this was equally as strange for him. _But_, she wondered, _why did he cut her off before clearing things up_? Another thing she didn't understand: Albel hated this sort of thing. He was more into perfecting his swordsman skills not play with a ball. This was something Fayt was into, not him.

The keeper retrieved the ball and handed it over to him. Another bizarre thing, Albel put the ball to his side and starred at the baskets. He was so engrossed he removed the eye flap to examine them carefully.

"I don't have all day." The man spoke, peeved.

Albel slammed the ball down on the counter. "Maggot," He screamed.

Sophia brought her daughter even closer towards her. She placed a hand on her shoulder and one squeezing her hand.

He unsheathed his sword and pointed it towards the man running the game. His action made Isabelle throw her free arm around Sophia. "You rigged this game," he yelled.

"Albel," Sophia spoke, trying to calm him down.

The keeper raised his hands up and surrendered. He didn't want to draw a crowd. "I'll give you a refund," he offered, placing one hand into his pocket. He pulled out two twenty fol bills, more than enough, but judging by Albel's glare he didn't want to short change him. Albel didn't move, even though the man pulled out another bill.

"I don't care about the money," He snarled as he put his sword back into its sheath. "Worm, you're not worth my time."

Albel twisted his body around and marched towards Sophia, closing the flap on his helmet. A few people were viewing this scene, which made Sophia even more embarrassed. Her body froze for a moment, more out of confusion. "What was that about?" She thought to herself. "The last part was like Albel, but causing a scene over injustice? Definitely, not like him."

No one opened their mouths to speak. No one stopped to look at anything; they just kept walking around, weaving in and out of the crowds. Albel, of course, was the leader. Eventually, after an hour, they reached the gate of the city: the one that leads to the capital. Sophia was the first to say something, "I guess we can rest here." Albel agreed by sitting down on the rocky earth. Isabelle was the second; she plotted herself on the ground and put her legs to the side. Her body leaned over as her hands ripped the head of the costume off. This caused Sophia to fall to her knees and put an hand to Isabelle's forehead. Beads of sweat moistened the hand.

"Still sick?" Albel snorted, in disgust.

"She'll be fine." Sophia relied, while withdrawing her hand. "It's mild."

She sat cross legged on the dirt. Her arm went around her daughter as she moved her in. Isabelle fell asleep on her lap. She darted her head back and forth.

"But," She spoke outloud, "A stream would be nice to cool her down."

"There isn't one for fifteen minuets." Albel answered, he put his hands behind his head and leaned his back unto the ground. "What's wrong with her?"

Sophia turned her head towards him. She gave a sigh, "she sick."

"I know that!" Albel snapped back. His hands were taken away from his head. His faced turned to her as his eyes glared.

Sophia took a deep breath. She didn't know how to explain it to him. All the diseases her world had. Would he understand? He's been traveling with them so maybe he would comprehend.

"She has lukaemia." She responded, trying to hold back tears. She didn't want to admit to this after fighting so hard to keep her alive. "We were on a trip to get a bone marrow transplant. But, the ship had mechanical issues and we were send to the escape pods."

Albel put his hands back behind his head and turned away from her. "Your world confuses me." He grumbled. "Wasting time on dying people."

"It's not a waste!" Sophia yelled. Her nostrils flared as the pit of her stomach was about to explode. She took a deep breath, exhaling her anger. "Think of it this way: spending time on diseases makes us stronger. Medicine can make us immune to diseases and prolong life. You've seen it yourself." She tried to put words he could understand. Airglyph handed the sick like animals: weak ones were killed out of empathy. Also, to insure the strong survived. However, it caused population troubles during times of plagues. Not from the people effected, but the loved ones who commit suicide. After all, humans are still humans.

Albel moved his body so that his back faced her. She knew him too well: he didn't want to admit she was right. The sides of her mouth grew into a smile. Her hand was placed on top of Isabelle's head. her fingers combed through the semi-wet hair. She noticed less sweat was being produced, meaning it was the costume that made her over heat. She yanked the mitts from her hands and held them.

"Are you oh-" She asked, but a beep from pocket interrupted her. She quickly pulled it out of her pocket. An oval communication device had a little light flickering to the sound of the faint beep. "Fayt," was written on the display. "I have to take this. can you watch her for a sec?"

Albel waved his hand, motioning to leave. She moved her daughter off her lap as she rose, replacing it with the fuzzy head of the costume. She pushed the green button, enabling her to talk, as she used her other hand to wipe the sand from her dress.

"Hello," she answered, as she went off towards the pathway.

"Where are you?" Fayt blurted out. "We're in Kirlsa but we don't see you. The tracking on your phone isn't working."

"I'm not in Kirlsa." She answered, taking steps further from the group. "We're just outside."

"Oh okay," Fayt sighed. His voice was dim, "She's outside of Kirlsa."

A quiet voice, but stern, was in the background, "Where? Kirlsa has three gates!"

"Oh," Fayt realised, his voice went back to Sophia. "Where outside?"

"The west, towards the mountains." She replied. "Isabelle is alright. We're just outside the gate."

"Okay, we're on our way." Fayt confirmed. "See ya."

A click was heard as the call ended. She turned her body to look at the two. Instead of seeing two body lying on the ground she saw were two paw mitts and Isabelle's teddy bear. Her body became weak, but over come with adrenaline. Her eyes darted to the phone, which flashed "00:14." "Huh," She questioned the situation, "I was gone for fourteen seconds?"

"Albel!" She hollered at the top of her lungs. There was no response. She marched closer to the gate and towards the guard standing half-inside, half outside. His body was twisted more inside.

"Excuse me," she asked, "Do you know where Albel and a young child are?"

The guard jointed for a second then turned around to face her. "I think I saw him go that way." He pointed towards the south, along a rocky pathway that leads to a steep hill. After not even a second, he went back to gazing at the festivities.

She thanked him, even though he wasn't concentrated on his job. Her body wanted to run as fast as it could but the stones, like daggers, had to be avoid. Also, the costume wasn't very mobile. She felt like playing hop-scotch like a kid, avoiding the rubble. The city wall was beside her, acting as a guide. For a second, she glanced above her. It was like she was in a pit, no wonder why she couldn't see them. So many questions ran through her mind. Why did they come here? Is this the stream he was talking about? Why would he take her if I was gone for fourteen seconds? Why can't I see them? Is this guard wrong? The ground became flatter but the pesky rocks were jagged. She was about to stop when she heard a whimper. "Isabelle," she called out. Her body kept going until it halted. She was at the edge of the cliff.

"Took you long enough, worm!" Albels voice was heard, but the location was unknown. It was like a ghost.

"Albel?" She asked, as her head darted around.

"Someone's observant." He spoke, sarcastically.

She closed her eyes when he talked. his voice was coming from below. Her legs gave in as she crashed unto the ground. Something metal was dug into the earth.

"Are you going to help?" He snapped.

She put the phone back into her pocket. Then, she laid her body flat, stomach down, as she inched her way to the edge. Her body was trembling as she could hear her heart beating. Her eyes peeked out. Albel was holding unto dear life with Isabelle on his other hand. The poor thing had tears like a river. She lent out her hand to out as Albel moved the arm holding the girl up.

"What the hell happened!" Sophia screamed, releasing her emotions."I was gone for fourteen seconds!"

"It's not my fault I have a face that scared children when they wake up." Albel explained. "She ran in this direction."

Isabelle reached the Sophia's hand. It was a good thing she dropped the bear. Albel must have really frightened her.

"Thank you," she cried.

"Humph."

Sophia touched her hand but Albel's claws slipped. It was so into the earth that it caused him to slide down. Isabelle went flying down. Sophia was about the dive over the edge but her body stopped her. She would rather fall than her daughter. Isabelle whaled as her body swung around Albel. Sophia didn't know what symbols to cast. It would take thousands of stone rains to get it at the level Albel was it, but what happens if they fall in. Earth Glaive might work but again, too deep. All she could think about was-

"Ice needles!" She yelled out, casing shards of ice to freeze the claws from going any further.

"It's okay," Albel releaved. "My foot is on a ledge, now. But, do something with this girl!"

Sophia peeked a little more: Isabelle was squirming, wagging her body around.

"Isabelle calm down!" She screamed, forcefully. Isabelle obeyed as she became still but still whimpered. Albel raised his arm again, moving the girl towards Sophia. She reached as far as she could but the gap Albel slid made it impossible.

"Help!" She shirked at the top of her lungs.

"It's no use," Albel sighed. He was about to open his mouth to say something else but closed it. But, Sophia knew what he was about to say. If he dropped her, he had a chance of climbing up. He may be strong but he can only hold for so long and his strength wouldn't be the best.

Sophia began to chant. She hadn't cast this symbol for awhile but it was the only thing she could think of. "Angel Feather." She casted. Feathers from the sky danced around Albel, enabling him to hold unto his grip for longer.

"Be patient."

A drip of water fell on Albel's face. "What the-?" He asked. He looked up. The ice holding him was about to melt."The ice is melting." He confirmed.

"It's okay, you have that ledge."

"It can only hold one foot."Albel told her. He glanced at Isabelle who'd body was calm but her face told a different story. His eyes looked up towards Sophia's.

"Bye, worm." He bid her farewell.

He yanked his claws from the soil. The motion caused him to fall back. Sophia's eyes widened as her entire body overcame full of power. Seeing, them sway back was too much for her. All this power of emotion froze her but she released it in a, "No." Everything around her went white. Her entire vision was white.

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AN: I'm back. Had to reread the last chapter to know what was going on. lol. Now I remember what is going to happen mwahahaha not sure when I'll post again but enjoy! Didn't proof read.. too busy so try to comprehend :)


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